Heart of the Fury
by Commander Argus
Summary: The Trinity Sitch Book 4.  Kim and Ron have begun their life together but destiny calls once more.  Chapter 27 drops from the skies!
1. Games People Play

**_The Trinity Sitch – Book 4: Heart of the Fury

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**Chapter 1: Games People Play

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Ron burst out the door of the odd little chemist's house at a dead run, stuffing the potion into the folds of his tunic. There was no time to waste, as the concoction he was carrying, which was made from something called an 'eyeball frog,' would spoil quickly. This was it, the final leg of a series of complicated tasks and trades. The reward for his toils lay just ahead. He only needed to deliver the medicine in time!

He frantically looked about, wondering where his horse had gotten to. Probably cropping grass someplace nearby. He couldn't cover the distance running and there were several obstacles which required his steed but he didn't have time to look for her. Ron pulled a small, bulbous wind instrument from his green tunic, put it to his lips and blew a six note tune on it. Instantly the horse responded to his call, appearing just a few steps away, her head dipping in greeting. He mounted and they were off at a full gallop.

The chemist's lab was on the shore of a vast lake where a shallow canyon widened. The narrows at this end of the canyon formed a sort of road leading away from the lake. He spurred the horse to full speed, knowing she would only make the leap if they were going fast enough and approached at the correct angle. Sure enough, at the mouth of the canyon was a wall. It wasn't much of a wall, more of a fence than anything else, but he had learned early on that it could not be climbed except with a ladder hidden on the far side. There was not time for that now, the clock was ticking.

He had to time it perfectly. There were two fences to clear and if he hesitated the horse would stop and there would be no room to pick up speed to make another run at it. It wouldn't matter anyway, if he missed he would not have time to complete the rest of the journey.

They sailed up and over the first fence, his horse making the leap like a champion steeplechaser. He counted two beats of her hooves and spurred her onwards toward the second fence.

They were up and over the fence and it was off to the races!

He was glad the sun was up and shining. It would not be wise to attempt crossing the open lands at night. There were too many things that lay in wait, dark things, even ghosts waiting to waylay the unwary traveler. Even as he crested the rise that would take him past a large dairy and horse ranch (that was where he had won his mare in a game of skill!) one of the more brazen spirits appeared, heedless of the daylight, ineffectively hurling fireballs at him as he raced past.

Changing direction, he headed around the north end of the ranch, spotting a narrow wooden bridge in the distance. It was the only way across a peaceful, tiny river as his horse would not venture into the water and on foot it would carry him too far downstream before he could climb out. She finally came to a stop at the mouth of the pass leading into the mountains. This was as far as the horse would carry him. He made a running dismount as she stopped and sprinted up the carved steps at full speed.

Ahead of him the village gates lay open and no one spoke to him as he raced between the homes and shops of the small mountain town. He made a hard left, racing up a ramp that led to a terrace above the northern end of the town. The northern gate lay just in front of him.

The soldier who once guarded the gate was now gone and the gate itself hung at an odd angle, obviously beyond repair as it had been smashed by some unknown force. He left the relative peace of the village behind as he climbed the trail into the rocky heights. He caught sight of his eventual destination, the tall cone of a fiery volcano, the summit itself wreathed in flame.

A trio of crab-like creatures barred his path. There was no time to draw his sword and fight them. He raced up to the first one and dodged right as it jumped into the air. That was the secret to getting past them, they would only attack if you got too close and fortunately they would not pursue you past a certain point. Leaving the monsters behind he got to the far left of the trail, anticipating the ambush from one more of the creatures hiding around the bend. He rounded the turn, passing by an entrance to a cavern, climbing even higher. The road forked and he took the one leading higher once more, climbing and jumping up a series of ledges as if they were giant steps.

Time was growing short!

He made his way down the last pass before the final climb to the summit. A deep rumbling announced the newest danger. Semi-molten boulders crashed around him as the mountain spewed death. The best way to escape harm here was to crouch with your shield still slung on your back, letting the rocks bounce off, but that would take too much time. He took a few minor hits but managed to drop and roll past the worst of it. Above him the enraged mountain spewed red death! He kept up the pace, always pushing forward.

His time was almost up. The potion was about to spoil!

He reached the wall, the mountain itself so steep the debris could no longer reach him. Here was the final climb! Out of the folds of his oddly voluminous tunic he produced a device very much like his familiar Team Possible grappler. It was a spring loaded mechanism that would fire spiked hook attached to a length of lightweight chain. It could be used both to pull him up towards a ledge or to pull small objects back to him. This time he would do neither, as the hook would not attach itself to solid rock.

Firing it twice in rapid succession he dispatched two ugly spiders the size of his head. He was forced to duck when another of the crab creatures dropped from a hidden ledge above.

The time was nearly gone. Soon the eyeball frog concoction would go bad and all of this would be for naught. He climbed for all he was worth. Only one obstacle remained. A third spider, hidden from view at the bottom and too high to destroy with the hookshot was waiting for him near the top. One bite and he would fall back to the base of the wall, ending his quest. There was no time to jump to the ledge and shoot it so he climbed past it, timing his move so it was facing the other way. The spider spied him a moment too late, missing him as he achieved the summit.

There were only seconds to spare!

A horrible moaning sound echoed over the top of the mountain as something large, no, make that huge rose above the crater rim. The thing was roughly man-shaped with an enormous round head. It seemed to be made both of flesh and of stone. Long arms the size of large trees unfolded as the painful moaning continued.

The monster did not attack, it just sat there rubbing its eyes in misery and discomfort.

Ron pulled the potion from his tunic and offered it to the gigantic creature. With surprising gentleness the bottle was taken from his hand. It tilted its head back and let a drop fall in each eye with an inordinately loud PLOINK, PLOINK followed by a drawn out "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Then it turned to Ron and smiled.

Finally at the end of his quest, Ron relaxed as the cut-scene played itself out. Just as he did so a tiny ball of light with glowing, fluttering wings sprang from a fold in his floppy forest hat.

"You need to go see Saria at the Forest Temple" the fairy said in her tiny little fairy voice. Ron swatted at it irritably, knowing that the little pest would try to put him back on his destined track. He also knew by heart what she would say, so most of the time he just ignored her.

"Ron, stop that!" she commanded as he nearly connected with her. That got his attention, Navi usually only addressed him straight from her script.

He took another look at the glowing creature.

Normally she looked just like a glowing ball of light with tiny insect-like wings. Now he could see he in much clearer detail. She was a tiny, slender woman just four inches tall, pulsing with inner light. She was wearing a teensy little green dress and had flaming red hair that swirled around her head as she flew. Normally he considered her to be the most beautiful thing in the world, but right now she was scowling with her hands on her hips.

"You're cheating, aren't you?" Kim did her best to tap, tap, tap her foot even though she was hovering at eye level.

"Nope, this game doesn't even have cheat codes. You've got to play it fair. Just so happens, I know what I'm doing!" He boasted.

"Uh, huh! Then how is it you're about to get the honking big final sword before you even go to the first temple-level?"

He stuck his tongue out at her. "So not cheating. I figured this trick out all by myself."

She smiled at him. "Suuuure you did, Ronnie." He smiled too, now knowing she wasn't mad and was taking him at his word. She flew around the back of his head, landing on his shoulder, caressing his large, pointed ear.

"Ohhhhh, mannnn! This never happened when I played this game in 2-D!"

"Oooo, if you're a really good boy I'll have Wade switch me over to the fish girl who's so in love with you." She nuzzled his ear, almost making his eyes roll back in his head, almost, that is, until he realized what she had just said.

"Oh, ew, ew, ewwwwwwww! Sick and wrong, KP, sick and wrong!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Ron on this one, Kim." Spoke the gigantic creature in Wade's voice. "Link and Ruto together? Ug!" He held a mini-van sized fist out to Ron, the monstrous sword looking like a toothpick in it. "Here you go Ron, the Biggoron Sword, yours fair and square!"

"Cooooooool!" He said, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. He brandished the weapon, having to use both hands since it was so large. "Booyah!"

"Bad news on that trick, though. A guy in North Carolina posted it all the way back in 1999, though I'm willing to bet the gaming community figured it out back when the game was first published, but kudos to you for figuring it out on your own." Wade's image shifted, Biggoron turning into a fifty foot tall African-American teen with a tiny beard on his chin.

"Whoa! Wade, dude, you're tall enough already!" Ron said, looking up at his friend.

"I take it this is a good stopping place?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, I can pick this up tomorrow night and take on the Forest Temple."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kim was now standing beside him, full sized but still in the badical mini-dress. Pointed ears stuck up through her hair.

"Oooo, my bad KP. Can't miss pizza-night with the 'rents!"

"No big, but if you're going to stay in Mom's good graces you'd better remember in the future. Nothing like a family meal that she doesn't have to spend all afternoon in the kitchen preparing!"

The three of them reached up to their heads. The mountain top wavered and disappeared, leaving them in a plain room with grid work walls. They put the immersion helmets back onto their cradles as the game system shut down.

"That was so badical, Wade! I can't wait until you have the other games coded into the system."

"That all depends on how much free time I've got, but most of the Link fans consider this the best of the series."

"Got that right!" Ron agreed.

"So, what's up tonight? Bueno Nacho? Burger Prince?" Wade asked, scooting his wheeled desk chair back over to his computer console.

"Hmm, maybe a little more of the game. I always got this vibe about Link and the little redhead at the ranch." Ron said, wagging his eyebrows as he looked at his wife.

"I think we'd better wait until I can set up some immersion helmets at you guy's apartment before you two start playing R-rated _Zelda_." Wade said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh no you don't" Kim said with a smile. "It's bad enough Ron figured out we can get a cable signal over our T-1 landline. How about a rain-check on tonight. I've got to meet with the thesis committee in the morning, plus Ron's got an early day driving out to Bueno Nacho headquarters."

Kim was proud of her new husband. He was in training to become the youngest district manager in Bueno Nacho history. It didn't hurt that he had been instrumental in saving the company, first from Drakken, then by inventing their newest ultra-popular item – the Naked Molé Wrap (yes, it looks gross beyond all reason!) Or course, the battle at the headquarters building half a decade earlier helped his cred with the re-organized company, but in the end it was his innate skill with fast food that earned him his new position.

Oddly enough, it didn't bother her the least that Ron was the first of them to have a true career.

Kim was in the process of starting graduate school, on track first for her masters and eventually a doctorate in international diplomacy. It was perhaps a good thing she had finally put her 'save the world' gig on hiatus, at least for the time being.

Their senior year at Middleton College had been a rude awakening. No matter how accommodating the faculty was of their lifestyle, the work load was just too demanding for them to be called away for every emergency. The first semester had her in danger of falling to a B level for the first time in her academic career. Ron was actually in danger of failing! A long, drawn out meeting of the entirety of Team Possible, held at Global Justice headquarters led to the announcement neither of them thought they would ever make. They were stepping down as the primary TP field agents, at least until they finished their studies.

Jim, Tim, Joss (who had moved from Montana to Middleton and now lived in the guest room of her old house up till the wedding, when she moved into Kim's old room) Doctor Director and even Wil Du all applauded when Kim finished her speech. What they thought would be a sad moment turned into a heartwarming show of support for the two as they took the next step in their lives.

Well, until Agent Du made an off-hand comment that a certain 'amateur' had finally grown up, to which Ron countered with a suggestion why a certain 'top agent' had been passed over for the position of Assistant Director.

Their priorities back in place, they graduated with Kim placing at the top of her class and Ron finishing quite respectfully. The celebration was interrupted by Duff Killagin trying once more to spread some kind of mutant golfing turf, but that mission proved to be nothing more than a mere distraction.

In fact, it was really kind of fun!

That was followed by a wedding that proved to be the social event of Middleton that summer. It was held on Independence day, the reception timed so they could enjoy the annual fireworks display.

"There's still fireworks." Ron said that night, remembering when she had said that to him when they had the first inkling about the true feelings they had for each other.

Kim still smiled at that. Than, and the fact that, sitting near the back of the sanctuary was another newly married couple who had once been her arch foes. Wil Du almost had to be restrained from arresting Drew and Sherry Lipsky on sight!

It was still ferociously weird that Shego's daughter was her flower girl!

"Come on, KP. We can still do Bueno Nacho and be home in plenty of time."

"Yeah, Kim. It's my treat!" Wade said.

"Oh, all right, but straight home afterwards." She smiled at two of the most important people in her life.

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_Four years earlier:_

Though it was incredibly slow in coming, realization came indeed to Drew Lipsky, better known to the rest of the world as Doctor Drakken; Shego was not coming to break him out. Not this time. Worst of all, he knew it was really his fault. He had seen it in her eyes before she escaped the clutches of Kim Possible and her friends.

He also saw something in the way she looked at that pudgy young man who had aided in their capture. When if finally dawned on him what he had seen it was like somebody shoved a knife in his gut. He could see her looking that way at the hotties she seemed to normally prefer but this guy was just so plain! He spent most of the several weeks it took the authorities to figure out what to with him this time trying to puzzle out why he felt that way.

His escape after the Diablo fiasco was pure and utter brilliance. The Drakken and Shego Synthodrones were already online when Global Justice hauled them away, secreted among the human-looking henchmen arrested along with them. A quick swap of clothing and the only real humans in the paddy wagon were disguised as simple goons. Later, the false Shego, in an apparent rage, destroyed all the remaining synthetics, covering their escape. The ruse worked, lasting all the way through the trial and deep into the summer. It held up right to the point when he was ready to start 'outsourcing' his 'take-over-the-world' technology again.

Drakken's duplicate had the same personality and performance upgrades the "Erik" drone possessed, allowing it to survive the rigors of prison far better than he would have himself. His confidence boosted, he made his move, coming out of hiding to steal a hyper-advanced weapons system. Whether it was his brazen challenge to fate, the law of averages rising up to bite him or just an extremely unfortunate coincidence, the drone was revealed when another prisoner stabbed it with a shank. The Synthodrones had one fatal flaw; if the outer husk was broken, the internal matrix broke down, turning the whole thing into viscous yellow-green syntho-goo.

If only he had thought of a way to reinforce the husk with Kevlar! The problems of making it flexible enough to appear human managed to occupy his mind for a little while. At least until he thought about Shego again.

_What was it about her anyway?_ She was utterly insubordinate, stubborn, sarcastic and had a sadistic streak a mile wide. Whenever he really tried to pin it down all he could come up with was the fact she was extremely attractive, especially when she wasn't scowling! That wasn't much help, either, since it seemed her face was locked in just such an expression most of the time. Even when she had been under the sway of Cyrus Bortel's Moodulator she resorted to threats when he spurned her advances, even with it was stuck on 'love.'

Three weeks after his re-capture, the courts finally decided what they had to do. At first it seemed like he would simply be returned to the super-secure facility where they had incarcerated the drone. That would mean, without the possibility of his erstwhile assistant breaking him out, he would be imprisoned for a long, long time. Then his lawyers had come up with this 'brilliant' notion that, since it was a synthetic Drakken who was tried, he had never actually been convicted of the attempt to take over the world using cybertronic fast-food toys. They hoped they could keep him out of jail while they set up another trial.

Unfortunately, in the long run the court decided his lawyers were quite right. He must be retried!

This time, however, they would not put his trial on the fast track. It would be scheduled along with any other crimes of its type. The arraignment was quickly held and it quickly became apparent the lawyer's plan was backfiring. He was ordered held without bond. Next thing he knew he was taken back to the very facility he had hoped to avoid, it being the only place they could hold him with a reasonable expectation his accomplice would not be able to break him out. He knew Shego wasn't coming, but they certainly didn't and they wouldn't have taken the chance if they did.

Now, more than a year later, he was still being held there, waiting as endless hearings, appeals and more hearings were held, each time forcing him to endure being transported to the nearest federal court, being stuffed into a dull, itchy suit, sat down while a bunch of hungry sharks in human clothing prattled on and on about some obscure point, then sending him back to the prison without even saying a word in his defense. The worst part was before leaving and when he got back undergoing a battery of tests to determine that he was indeed the very human Drew Lipsky. The government was dotting every "I" and crossing every "t" this time, not wanting any foul-ups.

The process was further delayed by endless extradition hearings, as just about every sovereign nation on Earth wanted their chance to try him. The thought of what might happen to him in some court systems outside of the United States frightened him wildly. He was seriously considering pleading guilty so he could be locked up in a nice (relatively) safe American prison, just to keep him out of some of the less savory prisons of the planet.

In what may have been one of the saner moments of his life, he began to question whether it was really worth it to try and take over the world.

Only, that made him remember a certain voice saying "He's actually learning."

Even making a left-handed compliment, that voice tore at him.

"You love her, don't you?" said a soft, slightly accented voice.

"What? Who's there?" He looked around his cell. It was past lights out and everything was deep in shadow. The voice had not come from outside but from the back wall.

A stranger stepped out of the shadows. He wasn't a guard or another prisoner, that was obvious. He was dressed in rich but strange clothing, wearing a dark navy colored tunic and dark red pants stuffed into folded leather boots. A short cape of dark red was joined by a short length of chain across his chest. His long, dark brown hair framed a face that looked like it had been chiseled from marble but his most striking feature were his eyes. Even in the darkness the blue pupils seemed to glitter with a light all their own.

"This woman? You love her?"

"That's none of your business, whoever you are." He growled. Drakken was actually considering calling for the guard.

The stranger smiled at him and held something out toward him. "What do you know about magic?"

"Magic? There's no such thing. I am a man of science. What people think is magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet." He said derisively.

Slender eyebrows went up. "That's a surprisingly open-minded view of things. You're right, one day your science may explain just how all of this works." He placed the object in Drakken's hands.

It was a book, bound in scaly leather the color of blood. The pages seemed to be made of parchment rather than paper. Strange letters in gold leaf adorned the cover. A great lock held it shut.

"What is this?" Drakken asked.

"That is a grimoire. It is a lesser copy of a text known to my people as _The Book of Arkon_. Inside are detailed instructions and explanations of how much of our magic works. It is the key to the next step in your destiny."

"My wha?" his face was rapidly changing from anger to confusion.

"Your fate is entwined with the woman you call Shego. You have the ability to decipher what this tome has to teach you. It will guide you in becoming her protector and champion. She has an important part to play in the future of this world…and another."

"What does this have to do with me? I've lost her forever because of the way I treated her. She'd as soon kill me as look at me now."

The stranger laughed, pulling a small stone statue from his cloak. "I think your bond with her is stronger than you know."

There was a surge of red light in the cell. A swirling vortex formed behind the stranger and he motioned for Drakken to join him. "Quickly now. I have cloaked us to this prison's surveillance, but it will not last long."

"No, I am done with that!"

"I don't have time for this!" the man growled, grabbing Drakken by his orange jumpsuit. "For now we must leave this place."

"Mommy!" he whimpered as he was shoved into the crimson maelstrom.

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a/n - if you're a bit confused, check out _They Say Everyone Has a Twin_, _Soulmates of the Fury_ and _Blade of the Fury_, along with the interludes to get filled in with the rest of the story. There's a lot going on that has been building over the course of the story. 

What Ron was doing in The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is quite real. If you go ahead and get the horse, Epona, as soon as Link is older, you can jump the bridge and complete the tasks to get the Biggoron Sword (the ultimate weapon of the game!) before he goes to any of the temples! (I haven't tried it yet in the "Master's Quest" version!)


	2. Dinner for Two

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 2: Table for Two**

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Two shadows detached themselves from the darkness high in the superstructure supporting the massive underground complex. They moved along the open framework, silent as cats stalking their prey. They were clothed from head to toe in skin-tight black outfits, their heads shrouded in form-fitting hoods and wrap-a-round visors. Even their feet were covered in the flexible fabric, allowing them to use their sense of touch more easily. It also helped them remain utterly silent.

A pair of large sentries passed beneath them, not once thinking to look up. Even if they did, all they would have seen were the shadows cast by the framework. They waited until the guards were out of sight before continuing. The intruders moved with liquid grace, their every move planned before it was made. Their skill was tempered by patience. What they had come for would remain where it was until they claimed it. The time for speed had not yet arrived.

They rounded a bend and stopped, their way blocked by a large, clear tube. A slight rumbling reached their ears and they melted into the darkness once more as an object shot by them at great speed, rocketing down the tube. Nodding to each other, they proceeded, slipping over the transport tube before another passenger could pass them by, though it would be highly unlikely they could see them at the speed they traveled.

There was nothing to distinguish between the two of them except for the fact one of them was male and the other was clearly female, though both were on the slender side of athletic. The differences were subtle but distinct. Neither would be mistaken for the other. The man was several inches taller than the woman though it seemed he was deferring to her as they neared their target.

The ventilation shafts were out of the question here. Some time in the past it had been suggested that somebody wanting to infiltrate the complex could use them to get about undetected. In response, the whole ductwork system had been redesigned, with complex sensors, convoluted twists and, most effective of all, the main ductwork had been divided into several smaller shafts rather than one large one. The heating and air conditioning system could still deliver its steady dose of comfort, but no human being could now surreptitiously crawl through them.

Too bad nobody had pointed out the open framework that held together the upper levels of the facility.

Reaching an unmarked doorway, the man dropped to the floor, his visor covered eyes scanning every direction before he signaled his partner. She dropped without a sound and produced a tiny device from her tool belt. She fitted the tiny flat-panel screen over the lock, an ultra-sound system embedded in the device showing the interior of the locking mechanism. In moments the high-tech lock pick had defeated both the latch and the electronic security system. They were in!

The room was filled with mechanical and electronic devices of every description. As the male figure stood watch, the female went directly to a certain shelf, grasping a spherical electronic device half the size of her head. It seemed to be divided into two hemispheres, with dial shaped controls and lensed energy projectors. She pulled a picture up on the tiny screen and compared it to her acquisition. She placed it gently into a large pouch on her belt and tip toed out of the room, nodding to her companion as she left. He nodded back and the both leaped right back up into the rafters.

Slowly, carefully they retraced their steps, escaping from Global Justice Headquarters undetected.

* * *

The first time Ron made the drive from Middleton, he was pumped, full of excitement and joy at being selected for the company's new Tri-City district. Ever since the Middleton location opened it had fallen into the home office district, considering it was the only location in any of the three neighboring cities for quite some time. Even when they opened one in Upperton and finally in Lowerton they still fell under the aegis of headquarters, especially since it was only a hundred miles to the west.

Then, that hated enemy, the rival from the East had dared to rear its ugly head in the shadow of the once great company! Thinking the time was right to beard the lion in his own den, the greatest challenge the company could face had opened a location in Middleton.

Chihuahua Taco had come to town!

Of course, they built their new restaurant out on the Interstate, not in the heart of town as Bueno Nacho had done. Still, the affront could not go unanswered! This was their territory and it must be defended at all costs. They must protect what was rightfully theirs!

They built their own roadside location right across the road, one hundred feet closer to the off-ramp.

With four restaurants, and plans for two more, (interstate locations both in Upperton and Lowerton) it was time to consider turning the reigns over to a proven hero, one who had twice saved the company, one who was already a celebrity in his own right, one who had just graduated from a distinguished college with a degree in the culinary arts.

Boy howdy, did Ron have a swelled head when he made that first drive up there.

By the third trip he was wondering how a hundred miles had gotten so long…and so boring!

Not to mention they weren't teaching him anything he didn't already know. Ninety-nine percent of running a fast food restaurant was pure procedure anyway and most of the food was pre-fab. He could create any number of new and exciting dishes from what they had, but that's not what the company was about. They had taken the Naco for what it was, a simple twist on something they already had and capitalized on it. The Naked Molé Wrap, well, that one was just a retro-play on the early 2000's fad of low-carb foods. It really wasn't anything more than pre-formed Chimirito innards with guacamole smeared on it instead of being wrapped up in a flour tortilla. No, the only thing new he was seeing was an endless stream of numbers and figures that he knew wouldn't apply in the real-world dynamic of restaurant operation. He knew the real down-low. It was about people. Follow the procedures correctly and the place would just about take care of itself. The real secret was knowing you were actually dealing with living, breathing human beings with feelings and motivations all their own. Take care of that and success was within reach.

Bueno Nacho was now his dojo, and he was the sensei!

Technically he had been named the manager of the Middleton location. That was simply how they had him on the payroll as he undertook the training courses. In practice, it was Ned who ran the place. That had been true, with only two brief exceptions, for the last seven years, counting the single day when Ron had been made assistant manager back when he was fifteen and the horrible period when Doctor Drakken has placed one of his lackeys in charge of the place to keep an eye on his nemesis and her buffoon sidekick. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember ever actually seeing the head manager, ever!

Thinking of their victory over Drakken still made him smile, even if the aforementioned seemingly former mad scientist now lived quietly in a rented chalet just an hour from their home with his new wife and adopted daughter. Kim may have started becoming pretty tight friends with the woman who once was known as Shego, but he still had a strong feeling that Drakken himself was still five hundred miles of bad road.

It was really strange at first, walking into Bueno Nacho as he always had, with Kim at his side to have the whole staff suddenly snap to attention and almost fawn over him. Funny how the power to "Hire, Fire, Counsel and Appraise" affected people's attitude towards you. He had to gather the whole staff and explain something to them. If he came in wearing the company uniform or dress clothing, he was the boss. If he came in with his wife or his friends in civilian clothing, he was to be treated as any other customer. It took a while, but they eventually came around and relaxed around him.

Ned was the easiest, having been used to Ron for many, many years. Ron's first move once he completed the training was to make Ned the full store manager, a position he would have held by now If Ron hadn't been recruited.

What was it about the drive to and from headquarters? Three times a week he had to make this trip and it seemed on some portion of the drive it was raining. Even the first time he had seen the building the storm clouds were brewing and by the time Drakken unleashed his worldwide horde of Diablo Bots a full blown storm was raging. Kind of a weird image for a chain that tried to project and image of the desert southwest. Oh well, nothing to be done about that! (If only Global Justice hadn't broken up the weather machine after the snowman incident!)

Given time to think about it, he was having mixed emotions about his new life. Oh, being married to Kim was extremely badical. How much better could it be? Yet now he had become the primary bread-winner for their fledgling family, at least for the next few years, allowing Kim to devote all of her energy to her advanced education. He was fine with that, in fact he was ecstatic. By doing what he felt he was born to do he was fulfilling a role that would allow Kim to become the best that she could.

However, old insecurities died hard. There were always stories how a steadfast spouse would put their significant other through grad school, only to lose them once they achieved their goals. In one moment he would reassure himself Kim would never do that, in the next he would tell himself that's precisely what somebody like her deserved. How fair was it that a beautiful, accomplished woman like her would waste her life with a plain-looking man whose lot in life was to run a tiny district in a massive fast food chain?

Trying to take his mind off such dark matters he let his mind drift back, thinking about the events of the last couple years. He thought about their wedding, their graduation from college just a few short weeks before, their senior year, their hiatus from adventuring, their last few missions…

…but mostly he thought about their last really big adventure, the one that took them to a planet on the far side of the Spiral Arm. So much had happened then, not the least of which was the revelation that he was supposed to be some kind of avatar for a group of celestial beings known collectively as the Effurien, gifted with the ability to use and understand any kind of hand-to-hand weapon. Only, like his Mystical Monkey Power, it seemed only to come and go, at least for a while before it simply disappeared completely. They kept up their training rigorously, hoping to keep their edge once it was time to resume their old lifestyle, but they never could seem to recreate the conditions where his so-called powers would come to the fore.

The following summer he had gone alone to the Yamanuchi school to discuss it with Sensei. Unfortunately, the old teacher had been strangely unwilling to discuss it in anything more than the most general terms. He also refused to put the powers to any kind of test. In fact, during the whole visit both he and Yori had seemed oddly evasive and were somehow distracted by something. He knew something was truly amiss when he was not allowed to see the Lotus Blade.

The trip to Japan ended in another disappointment when Yori told him she would not be coming to the United States to attend their wedding the next summer. He left not knowing whether it hurt her to see him with Kim or that some secret ninja stuff was drawing her away. He returned to Middleton feeling like a chapter of his life was closing forever. He felt terribly sad thinking his friendship with Yori could be over.

Sensei was enthusiastic about one thing, though and that was the idea that Ron's soul had been merged with Kim's. He pressed the young man for any details he could remember, though at first he wasn't able to relate too much considering the ceremony was conducted mostly in Arkonian. Still, with his old teacher's aid (and not just a little help from his mystical powers) he was able to recall much more. The white bearded master of Yamanuchi carefully recorded all on a parchment scroll before turning it over to the scribes so it could be recorded in the school's history. Ron was amazed that such an important part of his own life was considered important enough to be recorded for posterity.

He started feeling much better as his mind drifted to some other aspects of their great outer space adventure. They spent days alone in space, with just each other for company in what was, quite literally a flying luxury yacht! Three and a half years as a couple, two and a half of those engaged, much longer if you count the time they had been in denial about their emotions, emotions (and hormones) running high, well, who wouldn't take the plunge in a situation like that? He always knew in his heart that being with Kim would be…well…Badical! But it was even beyond that! He couldn't believe how much he was in love with her then! He couldn't believe how much he was in love with her still! Then there was their honeymoon, which ended in a two day orbital cruise aboard the X.S.S. Trinity!

Booyah!

A passing highway patrol car brought him out of his reverie. Without realizing it he had bee pressing harder and harder on the accelerator, though whether from excitement or just a longing to get back to Middleton and the love of his life he could not tell. He slowly took his feet off the gas, hoping the officer would not turn around and come back after him. Considering he was driving a fully restored black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am with the full Firebird treatment he was, shall we say, a traffic cop magnet! It didn't help the high-performance electric motor (hooked up to a miniature cold fusion power plant) was capable of over 150 miles per hour. He had to take it easy, much as he wanted to get home to Kim, the last thing he needed was a speeding ticket!

* * *

At ten years old, the smallest member of Team Possible was started to show his age. Granted, his kind was usually prone to wrinkles in their pink, naked skin, but he had always been quite plump, being perhaps the best fed Naked Mole Rat on the planet. Still, right around his small black eyes wrinkles were indeed beginning to form and he was beginning to slow down, though only just a little.

He scampered across the table top, smoothing down wrinkles in the tablecloth, straightening the runner, making sure the candlesticks were perfectly straight and lining up the silverware perfectly. He was doing his part so the night would be perfect.

If only he could quiet the fear that gripped his tiny heart.

The sounds were not encouraging. For one, only he knew that his human, when he was absolutely certain he was alone, was capable of uttering words that would peel the paint right off the walls. It was an escape valve of sorts for Ron and a secret Rufus would never gladly tell.

The fact Kim was in the kitchen saying many of those same words was causing him no shortage of anxiety!

He went back to work, doing his part for their evening together, though under no circumstances would he enter the kitchen until his human came home.

Nor would he eat anything that came out of it, no matter how hungry he got. Once bitten, they say!

Kim opened the oven, her face a mask of utter despair and misery. At least this time she didn't get a blast of superheated smoke right in her face, temporarily blinding her, though this was almost as bad. Just how hard could it be to make a casserole? She downloaded the instructions and tried to follow them to the letter, but some how, some way something always went wrong.

It wasn't fair! Her mother could cook! Her husband could cook! Even her little brothers could cook. Heck, even her near-twin cousin Joss could cook, though her fare tended to be a little on the camp-stove side of things. No, if there was one thing she had to go and inherit from her father it was an utter and total ineptitude in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, it was now clear the chicken in the dish had died in vain. The cheese, well, it now had much more in common with the diamonds in her wedding ring than anything that ever came out of a dairy.

Dang nabbit! This was supposed to be a special night and she was not about to let Ron do all the work after an all-day meeting at the home office and two hundred miles of driving alone. She wished she could have ridden with him, but there was just too much school work for her to deal with right now. The committee had accepted her thesis proposal, so that was one hurdle already, but the real work was only now beginning. Still, her confidence was high and she knew she was up to the task.

If that only didn't mean so much time apart from Ron.

She worried about him, especially the long, lonely drive. It seemed to go by so fast the first time they made the trip (well, it was fast, using a J200 rocket powered scooter) but it was still a boring, grindingly lonely stretch of road. It wasn't his skill she worried about, it was his state of mind. Over the last months, since they had shelved their world-saving career, she started noticing little things. At first she thought he might be going through a depression, but she quickly realized he was really missing their adventures.

She could understand that fully. She missed them too.

Then too he was, after all, Ron. Despite all they had been through together, how much they had grown as people and as a couple, he was prone to self-doubt. In fact, she had a discussion with her thesis advisor about one thing in particular. It seemed there was a very high percentage of married couples who ended up separated once one partner completed their Masters or doctorate. The very thought of that gripped her soul with icy anxiety. Could she do that to him? Of course not! Ron was her life and she his, but that didn't stop him from thinking about such things.

_I am your soul and you are mine_ his voice said in her mind, as if he were sending it straight to her to quiet her fears.

_Oh, I am a stupid, stupid, STUPID… It said BAKE, not BROIL on the instructions!_

Frustrated, she tossed the entire mess, pan and all, into the garbage can (Pyrex loooooves Kim!) and got a frozen lasagna out of the freezer. This time she said a silent little prayer, set the oven to BAKE and put the dish into the oven.

Five minutes later she pulled it out in a hurry and took the plastic seal off the tray.

That done, she went to clean up the mess that was supposed to have been tossed salad!

* * *

Ron pulled into his space outside of their condo, relieved beyond measure there were no emergency vehicles parked outside. It was just shy of nine-o'clock and he knew Kim would have made some attempt to make the evening special. He was upset at first when he got the call about the meeting, but at least he could get home before it got too late.

There were many special days in their year. Christmas, the High Holy Days, their wedding anniversary, Middleton Days but there was one day that was very special, just for the two of them, a private celebration they always tried to remember.

It was September 4th.

Granted, since they got married on Independence day, it was their two-month anniversary and being a young couple deeply in love that would be acknowledged, but this was something deeper, far more fundamental to the two of them.

Eighteen years earlier, this had been the first day of Pre-K. It was, therefore, their eighteenth anniversary together. Ten months later, maybe their wedding anniversary would become bigger, but this was the celebration of a friendship that became much more than that.

How many young couples could say they had spent nearly their whole lives together?

He unlocked the front door and stepped inside, shaking a few stray drops out of his short blonde hair left from the light drizzle that refused to give up the night skies. As soon the door shut behind him a figure stepped into the doorway, dressed all in black. His heart leaped into his throat at the sight!

"Hello, baby." She trilled in a low, husky voice that sent chills down his spine.

Five years after first seeing Kim in that little black dress and his jaw still hit the floor and this time his father-in-law was not there to snap it shut for him (or threaten a trip to a black hole!)

"Wow, KP, you're just so beautiful! What's the occasion?" he grinned at her

Now, gentle reader, it's clear Ron hadn't forgotten what day it was and what was so special about it and we all know he's not stupid (most of the time) so he wasn't courting serious bodily harm. It can therefore safely be assumed that this had become the traditional banter for this particular celebration!

"Why don't you come here and let me remind you." She purred. Not waiting for him to break out of his trance she moved right up to him, taking his ears gently in her hands and pulling him toward her, their lips parting as they met. His briefcase hit the floor forgotten as his hands reached around her waist and down. The hem of the already short dress started creeping up.

"Hey," she said, breaking free from the kiss, "save dessert for after dinner."

He kissed her neck. It was so much nicer being able to actually touch her wearing that badical dress, so much better knowing she really, really wanted him touching her in that dress! "Maybe I want dessert first? Maybe that's the best part of the meal." He whispered in her ear.

"Ohhhhh, and after I slaved over a hot stove all evening." She mock pouted.

"Let me rephrase that." He leaned back, smiling at her, his hands still firmly in place on her backside. "Maybe that's the safest part of the meal!"

"Ron Stoppable, for that I'm going to send you straight to bed without dinner!" She smiled back at him, wiggling a little in his grasp.

"I'm saved!" He shouted, finally letting her go. "So, what were we going to have?" He asked, testing the air with his nose.

"I saw that." She scolded. "I only burned it a little."

"Smells more like you burned a lot of stuff a little." He said.

"Okay, so chicken casserole is so the drama. I still had plan B."

"Which is, er, well, was?"

"Is, Mister Slather-that-awful-green-stuff-on-a-Chimirito. Frozen Lasagna, to be exact, and even my Mom got the edges a little burnt when she made it."

"Did you remember to take the plastic off?" He asked with a sly grin.

"Oh Nooooo!" she cringed. Ron simply looked crestfallen. "Gotcha!" She said, poking him lightly in the tummy.

He smiled back at her and asked "Okay, how long _did_ you leave it in before you remembered it?"

* * *

Dinner was, despite the fact it was served from a foil pan from the freezer, perfect. Mama Porter's (yep, the family dinner division of Pop Pop Porter) lasagna dinner was actually quite good, though just a pale shadow of what it was like when Ron prepared the meal himself. They each had a glass of wine, though mostly because a big glass of soda just doesn't look right at a candlelight dinner for two. Neither of them cared much for drinking. They didn't stay at the table for very long anyway, leaving their pint-sized waiter to clean up after them.

They moved first to the couch in the living room which Kim had lit with a number of pleasant smelling candles. They snuggled close, only coming up for air to make quick loving comments to each other. Ron's tie disappeared first. She didn't even bother to completely untie the knot, she just pulled the short end loose and slowly pulled it from around his collar. That was followed by her slowly, deliberately unbuttoning his shirt while she nibbled on his neck. His hand returned to her thigh and her hem started rising once more, this time eliciting no protest.

His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Did we forget something tonight?"

"One of the advantages of a dress like this for a stay-in date." She breathed as his hand moved to the small of her back, gently laying her back as they kissed. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"I'll get…_kiss_…back to…_kiss_…you after…_kiss_…some product testing." He responded as he made his way down her neck, to her shoulders where he pushed aside one of the straps.

It was a long time before they made it to the bedroom.

* * *

Two people made their way quietly through the darkened environs of the Space Center. One was quite tall, probably about six feet though he had a tendency to slouch forward. The other was obviously a child, with long, dark pigtails and a violet and black jumper made to look like her mother's old uniform. She held the adult's hand as she followed him out into the main hanger/dome of the complex.

They paused at a small door set just to the left of a large roll-up hanger door. There was a large padlock on it in addition to a computer interlock. For the latter, he produced a small electronic gizmo, placing it over the device. Seconds later, the telltale glowed green.

The lock was another matter altogether. If his wife had been here she could have had the lock open in seconds, though she refused to apply those skills any longer. There were other ways to skin a cat, though.

He held the lock in his small hands. Concentrating, he said "Pash dazinga." With a tiny squeak, the lock popped open, causing the man to smile broadly, a look of evil mirth playing across his cerulean features.

The little girl took his hand once more and he led her inside.

Most of the lights were off in the hanger but there were enough to outline the large craft parked within. It was two hundred fifty feet long, with along oval shaped hull tapering toward the front. Two large engines projected from the rear of the craft, flanked by tiny fins concealing various sensors.

The man led the child up a staircase to a round doorway set in the side of the starship. There he crouched down and spoke to the little girl.

"Amethyst, if you'd just put your hand right there on that white square, you'd really be doing Daddy a solid." He said in his sweetest voice.

She smiled and nodded her head vigorously. He picked her up by the waist and she put her hand right onto the sensor.

The doors opened with a slight whoosh.

A woman's voice greeted them as the interior lights came on. "Good evening, Amethyst Argus. Welcome to the X.S.S. Trinity. What can I do for you?"

The girl scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "My name is Amethyst Lipsky." She yelled back at the computer voice.

"That's Daddy's little girl." Doctor Drakken said with his most heinous smile.


	3. Married Hair

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3: Married Hair**

* * *

Three men wearing jet packs executed their landing in perfect unison, touching down just outside the wall of a secret government lab hidden in the Rocky Mountains. Their leader, a man literally half the size of the other two, pulled an electronic device from his dark red jacket and placed it against the wall. Backing up, he turned his helmet covered head and shielded his eyes. There was a bright flash of yellow light and a subtle 'foomp' sound as the matter disintegrator grenade created an opening large enough to admit the three men abreast.

From the inside they could see the security beams forming a lattice overhead. They knew about them beforehand, forcing them to land outside the wall and make a more forceful entry that way. The security at the lab was getting better, but that still would not stop the genius of Professor Dementor!

He had come prepared. It was nothing to him to pay for all the best, the best henchmen, the best assault equipment but especially the best intelligence. He knew about the self-activating lasers and he came prepared to deal with them. Strapped to each of their left arms was a brightly polished shield. As the lasers started firing, they held up the protective gear, using it to harmlessly reflect the beams. With a bit of trial and error, they were able to direct the beams right back into their projectors.

That done, they made their move into the main building. Another MDG made short work of a side door. Now it was time to be alert for the automated security drones! Just as his mole had told him, they attacked in pairs, each group keying on one of them. All three reached into their equipment and produced a small metal ball, rolling it at the advancing drones. They hit their mark, bursting into a cloud of yellow gas. Instantly the drones were stuck together, incapacitated.

_They never learn!_ Dementor thought with a wicked smile as they penetrated the main lab complex.

"Be careful, my henchmen THIS IS WHEN WE SHOULD **EXPECT TEAM POSSIBLE!"** he finished in a near scream.

He waited. No one came. No twin boys with their fantastic weapons assailed him. No brown haired cowgirl swooped from above. Kim Possible herself and her new husband he did not expect, as the whole villain community was aware they had passed the torch to their younger team members so they could enjoy their new wedded bliss!

Dementor was almost disappointed when he signaled his men forward.

His target was a large vault on the far side of the main lab. It had been stolen so many times in the past it now remained locked up, not even being removed for study. The vault itself was made of a special laminated compound that would not be damaged by his disintegrator grenades, so a more subtle approach was deemed necessary.

He simply keyed a stolen code into the lock.

The Professor's eyes glittered as the door swung open. Then they snapped open in shock as they came to rest on the cradle in the center of the small room inside.

"Where is it? WHERE IS THE **PAN DIMENSIONAL VORTEX INDUCER!" **he bellowed. He turned back toward his men, watching them shrug.

He was just in time to see the two figures in black entering a ventilation shaft, high up on the wall.

"GET THEM!" he pointed desperately.

One of the henchmen had the presence of mind to use his jetpack, reaching the shaft just as the second intruder reached the opening. He grabbed at the figure, but she was too quick for him, diving into the opening. There was barely enough room to fit inside, which meant there was no way in the world the henchman was going to be able to go after them. He stopped and looked in his hand. He had come close to capturing the rival thief, in his large paw was a hooded mask.

Professor Dementor stood on the floor in shock. He had seen the mask come off. What shocked him the most was the flash of auburn red hair he had seen as the thief made her escape…

…with his Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer!

* * *

_There is something fundamentally wrong with this sitch!_

Kim was waiting on her stoop for a friend to drop by so they could go shopping at Middleton Mall. Now, if that friend happened to be Monique or even Tara, well, that wouldn't have been so ferociously weird. Considering the identity of this 'friend', well one might understand how she thought the universe was slightly (no, make that majorly) out of kilter.

She checked her watch again. It was still ten minutes before she was expecting the slightly older woman but she was already a bundle of nerves. Honoring a truce called for by her then quasi-boyfriend Kim could handle. The two of them coming to a sort of understanding when they agreed to work together to rescue him, well, that was easy enough to understand. The two of them leaning on each other for a bit when he died, well, it was in her nature to be sympathetic.

Sherry Lipsky, formerly known as the master villainess Shego, actually trying to act like a normal housewife, mother and friend, well, that was, as one of Kim's other enemies was fond of saying, _freaky_!

There was still a sort of glitch about the whole idea of literally hanging out with her. She was, after all, still wanted in at least twelve countries. Just knowing where she currently lived technically made Kim an accessory. It was a testament to the level of trust the head of Global Justice had in her that they were willing to look the other way, at least as long as Sherry stayed Sherry.

It was tantamount to a sort of house arrest. A few years back, right before Amethyst was born, she learned how to change the way she looked, as least slightly. Using her glow powers would bathe her whole body in mutagenic radiation. While it wasn't harmful to her, being permanently coded into he DNA, it did cause a few obvious problems. Chief among them was the fact it turned her green. At lot of folks who had seen Shego during her villain years simply thought she was very pale. Coupled with her usual habit of wearing black (well, it was actually extremely dark green) lipstick most just assumed she was some sort of Goth chick. In fact her skin was a very light shade of green, not white. Even her raven black hair took on a greenish cast, especially where it reflected light. She used to think it was irreversible, until, after leaving Doctor Drakken she looked up a man who had literally been her high school boyfriend. It turned out, after all the years of his joking he was the only one around Team Go without any powers that he actually did have some. Using his nascent healing powers, he reversed the effects of the Go Team Glow radiation, completely erasing any trace of green on her body, even turning her eyes back to brown, as they had been up to the time the rainbow comet changed her and her brother's lives.

There was another interesting side effect. Global Justice and Wade Load developed systems that could track her power signature almost anywhere in the world. Since the power itself was technically always on, she could light up their sensors like a homing beacon. When she was normal, she had to will the power itself off. That rendered her invisible to the scans. Even when she learned how to change back and forth (turning herself normal takes a great deal of concentration!) she would still show up if she 'powered up.'

Doctor Director made it quite clear to Sherry. She was willing to look the other way just as long as she didn't 'go green.' The last time she had done so was back before she got married. At the time she was having a joke at Kim's expense and she wanted the younger woman to think she was back to her old ways. The joke itself almost backfired when a squad of GJ agents showed up at her chalet, Betty Director herself in the lead.

Kim heard Sherry's ride even before it turned the corner onto her street. She rolled her eyes as the lithe woman pulled up on a green and black Ducati. For somebody trying to leave an old lifestyle behind the bike literally screamed Shego!

"Hey, Princess! Ready to break a few hearts?" she yelled cheerfully after pushing the faceplate of her helmet up.

"Yeah. So tell me, exactly how are we supposed to go shopping on a bike like that?" Kim said, eying the bike. "What are we supposed to do, buy one item each at Alexandria's Confession and keep it in our cargo pockets?" For emphasis she patted the side pocket of her old denim capris, complete with wear lines where her old handheld Kimmunicator once sat.

"Oh snap!" Sherry cursed. "Now why didn't I think of that!"

Kim shook her head. "Okay, wait a sec, I'll get my keys."

"Are you still driving that goofy cruiser thing?"

"It's not the same one, but yeah, I still drive them."

Sherry shook her head, then pulled off her helmet. "Why don't we borrow Stoppable's ride?" She had seen him tooling around town in the classic Pontiac.

Kim gaped at her. She was still waiting for a cascade of shiny black hair to fall from the headgear, like a glistening ebony waterfall pouring down her back. Former enemy or not, Kim knew that Sherry was extremely proud of her hair.

It now ended some three inches above her collar! It was, perhaps, the first time she had ever seen the woman's ears without her hair being pushed back. After knowing her for over seven years it was just…odd.

"Sherry, your hair?" she said, open mouthed.

"Oh, that. Yeah, got tired to taking care of it. Drew calls it 'Married hair.'"

Kim just stood there staring at her wide eyed. 'Married hair' was an old joke, there were even pictures of her mother with long hair before she married her father. It made her think of her own ponytail hanging well past her rump. _Could she ever get it chopped off like that?_

"You wouldn't believe how light it makes my head feel. I haven't had this much cut of since I was twelve!"

"But what about your 'Essential Shego-ness?'"

"Well, that's kind of the point, Kimmie. People don't tend to pick up on me in person, but I noticed something when I was at a store the other day. They had me on a surveillance video and the monitor was black and white. Who do you think I look like with no color?"

"Oh." Kim said, realizing that other law enforcement groups wouldn't be so kind as to look the other way. It wouldn't do for some overzealous security guard to 'arrest' the infamous villain.

"So, are you gonna make with the ugly little car or are we just going to jaw out here in front of Chez Snoozeville all day?" She asked, a little of her old snarkiness creeping into her voice. Kim went back inside and got her car keys of the hall desk.

"I'm disappointed you didn't' bring Amethyst with you today. You know I can't resist buying her something purple."

"Oy, with the purple stuff. At least that's better than you getting her started on one of those belly shirts of yours."

"Hey, I like a crop top."

"Not on a three and a half year old toddler." Sherry countered. "Anyway, Drew's got her today and he's taking her to see Grandma."

"Grandma? He's taking her to see Neil's mother?"

"Ach, Princess…Mama Lipsky, Drew's mother?"

"Ohhhhh, right. So she really does think Drakken is her father?"

"I'll tell her about her real father some day. Maybe when she's old enough to understand that. Right now I think it's best she thinks of Drew as Daddy, plus I think it's good for Dr D too."

"So, how's it being married to him?" Kim gave her a sly look as they got into the PT Cruiser.

"Well, the first couple weeks after we got married, it was like he turned into a teenager. Then I think he found my stash of romance novels, 'cause he started trying stuff."

"Oh?"

"Not like that, Punkin. I mean, things like soft music, rose petals, all that garbage the writers of those books seem to think women go for."

"And you don't?"

"Let's just say I preferred him in 'randy teenager' mode." A wicked smile sprang to life on her face. Kim just grimaced, thinking of Doctor Drakken trying to be romantic. _And that's worse than thinking of him as a horny teen how?_

Sensing she was on the verge of hitting pay dirt, Sherry pressed on. "So, how about you and Stoppable? I didn't see him."

"Oh, he's still in bed. We slept in this morning instead of going to church."

"Church? I thought he was Jewish."

"He is. One week we go to Temple, the next we go to church. This was church week, but we were up a bit late last night."

Sherry noted the blush on her cheeks. There was a time when she thought it so odd that somebody so high on the so-called "Food Chain" like Kim would have been interested, let alone head over heals in love with a guy like Ron, but the more she saw the two of them together, the more she knew why. She once had just a taste of that kind of love and part of her was extremely jealous of the younger woman for it.

* * *

Ron opened his eyes slowly, his body and mind not quite ready to relinquish the bed. The digital clock on the television across from him told the story, however. It was past eleven and it that was far too late to be in bed, no matter how comfortable it was. Then again, the fact he was alone in the bed was another reason to get up. If Kim had still been there with him he would likely have stayed all day long.

It had been known to happen!

Four hours in the car, eight hours in a meeting, then coming home to other strenuous activities (he wouldn't trade it for the world!) had caught up to him. He didn't even wake up when Kim left, probably about an hour earlier. He rolled out of bed and started searching for his boxers.

Despite the fact they lived there alone, Kim made it clear quite quickly that they would not behave like cavemen in their own house. It was fine to parade around the bedroom in their all-together, but in the rest of their home they would be dressed.

Well, boxers was dressed enough for him, at least for the moment. Kim wouldn't be home for hours yet, so what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her (or him!)

He wandered downstairs and headed for the kitchen. He was still afraid of what he might find there. Kim wouldn't let him in, despite the fact all she had served was of the pre-prepared frozen variety. He needn't have been so alarmed, as it turned out, she had done a fairly good job of cleaning up any mess she might have made.

Sleeping soundly in a now-empty foil baking pan was Rufus. Apparently he could trust Kim well enough with lasagna. His little bulging belly told the tale of why there would be no leftovers today, even though it was supposed to be 'Family Sized!'

Convinced he was alone in his home, Ron did what any red-blooded male would do; he belched and scratched himself. It was at that moment a figure dressed totally in black appeared in front of him.

Not knowing whether it was from extreme embarrassment or fear, he did what he always did in that kind of situation. He screamed.

Alarmed, Rufus sprang up from the lasagna pan, red sauce smeared all over his lips.

The ninja reached up and pulled off her hood, revealing short black hair and the golden complexion of a beautiful Japanese woman about the same age as Ron.

"Stoppable-san, I see you are still practicing your 'screams of courage.'" She said with a smile as she bowed.

"Y…Yori? What are you doing here?"

"Can old friends not pay a visit? I would have thought you would be glad to see me."

Ron was confused. The last time he had seen the young woman she had seemed almost on the verge of tears, presumably over his impending marriage to Kim, to the point she even refused to come to the wedding. Now she was here, in his home, looking at him like…

…like a hungry animal!

"Um, Yori, uh, I think I'd better get dressed, ya know, maybe get cleaned up a bit." He squeaked, realizing he was wearing only day-old boxers. He backed up a few paces, not taking his eyes off of her.

She advanced on him a couple steps, her dark eyes never leaving his. "Stoppable-san." She whispered breathlessly, reaching for him. He tried backing up further but the kitchen table blocked his retreat. She reached him and pressed her body up against his, her lips brushing against his ear.

"Yori! What the…stop!"

"Shhhhh." She whispered in his ear, her hands reaching for places only Kim had been.

"Whoa!" he screamed, twisting out of his grasp, his anger starting to rise. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but the Yori I knew had nothing but respect for me! Just what the hell is going on?"

"Ron-san, Sensei has finally come to a conclusion about the questions you came to him with last year. It is clear to him now that your destiny lies not with Kim Possible but with me at your side to guide you as you wield the Lotus Blade."

"Earth to Yori!" Ron said, desperately pushing a chair between them. "In case you didn't notice, I married Kim. There's a whole world of difference between that and some notion I'm destined to be with you!" He happened to glance at the counter behind her. Rufus was there, desperately waving to him. They locked eyes for just a moment and he gestured with his tiny claws, first at his nose, then at Yori, shaking his head emphatically.

That told Ron everything he had to know. Whoever this was, it wasn't the woman he knew at Yamanuchi. At the moment he didn't know whether she was a synthodrone or what, but he had to get away, to get to some kind of weapon. If she was a drone he had to deal with her quickly, but in the moment she had been up against him, he somehow got the notion she was flesh and blood.

She might not have been Yori, but she was just as fast. Before he could react she was on top of him once more, only this time not aiming to seduce him. In one fluid motion she was behind him, her arms around his neck. It might not have been a true ninja-move, but it was just as effective.

In moments, Ron blacked out, the sleeper hold having its intended effect.

The False-Yori slipped her hood back on. Speaking in a language that was not Japanese or English, she summoned two more ebon clad figures from their respective hiding places.

"Take him to our transport. Use a stun staff if you have to, but do not let him wake up. I will be with you shortly."

The two figures, one male, one female, their faces unseen behind their masks, nodded in response and bore the unconscious Ron from his kitchen.

The woman who wore Yori's face pulled a swatch of material from the folds of her gi, letting it fall to the floor. Smiling under her mask, she followed her two companions out the back door.

* * *

Drew stood in the door of the main parlor, watching Amethyst playing a game with the ship's avatar. She looked so much like her mother it wasn't funny. He had to remind himself that what he was doing was necessary, though it pained him terribly thinking he was using the child, even if it was just to gain access to the ship without anyone else knowing about it, especially his new wife. He knew he had to do what he came to do and do it quickly. The longer he staid here the more likely Ammie was to make some kind of off-hand comment that would make her mother suspicious.

He didn't want to fall in love with Shego, at least not the way he did. Over the years he knew he had come to care deeply for her. It wasn't until she found out about her life before they had even met that he cared even more than that. Drew found himself becoming jealous of a man he had only briefly met.

Then there was this notion the man who broke him out of prison put in his head that he was somehow supposed to be her protector and that he would have to become something called an "Arcus" to do so. He only wished he knew more about what would be entailed than what the man who identified himself only as 'Gryphion' had told him.

All he had to go on was an ancient text that wasn't even written in a language written on Earth. After over four years of trying he had only scratched the surface, but that was enough.

The power in that book was beyond anything he had ever previously imagined!

Somewhere along the way, however, he started to see Shego differently. Maybe it was the fact she was getting a little older, the difference in their age becoming less and less of an issue. Maybe it was the fact he started seeing her as a woman and a mother. It struck him as odd that had never occurred to him until that regrettable time Cyrus Bortel's mood controller had gotten onto her. Even then he was more freaked out than titillated but in the aftermath (as he healed!) he had time to think about it. When she had finally worked up the nerve to see him and apologize, all he could think about was how beautiful she actually was. Then, slowly but surely they slipped back into their old ways.

Then came the incident with the Valkyrie, almost costing him everything.

Amazing how priorities could shift. Even the scant knowledge he had gleaned from this 'Lesser Copy of the Book of Arkon' as enough to point him in a new direction. Part of him was glad he had not been given the book, or even the translation earlier in his life. The knowledge was too dangerous. In the wrong hands it could wreak untold havoc on the world.

He still lay awake at night thinking _what if?_

That was before he became aware of the forces gathering against his world.

He had been right about one thing, though. The powerful computer on the Trinity did have a working knowledge of ancient Arkonian. Where it had come by it, he had no clue. That was a mystery to be plumbed once the world was safe again. For now, it was just a matter of figuring out exactly what the grimoire actually had to say.

The file was almost complete. Once done he would instruct the computer to forget he had been there. She (he was thinking of the computer as a female since she used a woman's face as her avatar) would balk, but all it would take was a single command from Amethyst and she would obey. Strange they would name a child who had not even been born at the time as the rightful owner of the craft!

Just a few more minutes and he would go back to Shego, after a quick trip to his mother's to see the child so his cover story would hold. His poor mother didn't have a clue that the child wasn't actually his. She had been working under a delusion that his assistant was much more than that, long before he had any real feelings on the matter. As far as she was concerned, she was the doting grandmother of the precious child. It didn't hurt to let her think so as long as he could.

Even after the last few years, when Shego had shared her real name with him for the first time, he still thought of her by the one name he had always known her by. In fact, he was the only person in her life she would allow to call her that. It had become a sort of nickname, just as she called Kim Pos…Stoppable (yes, he had to correct himself almost every time he thought of her) Kimmie or Princess or, less often, Punkin, or that his old nemesis' husband called her KP.

Just the same as the fact she still called him Dr. D.

The computer console he was using chimed. The translation was complete. He took his storage device from the receptacle and turned to watch his 'daughter.' He almost spoke, but decided to instead let her finish this round of her game. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her and she seemed to be having an extremely good time playing with the avatar.

It was the child that had finally brought them together. Something inside him changed when he held her and never more so than the day she spoke her first words. Of course, they had come out something like 'da-ah' but there was no doubt in his mind she meant 'Daddy.' He actually started crying when he heard that, then he caught the look on Shego's face as she watched the two of them.

Later that week, she kissed him, for all intents and purposes, for the first time simply because she wanted to. It wasn't anything more than a kiss, but it was the first indication she might be feeling some of what he felt for her.

It took two years for him to work up the nerve to propose to her.

He closed his eyes for a moment, shuddering at the thought what he was doing might be seen as a betrayal of that love.

Betrayal it may be, but it was for her own good. It was for everyone's own good.


	4. Kids Say the Darnedest Things

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_ **

* * *

Chapter 4: Kids Say the Darnedest Things

* * *

"Drakken!" Sherry bellowed as she let herself into their rented chalet. She looked around her home, wondering exactly where he still was. Moments later she heard the car pulling up. Kim had been right, there was no way in the world her Ducati would carry even a tenth of the stuff she'd purchased, so that meant heading back to Stoppable Manor to retrieve it and Kim following her home with the car. Unfortunately that also meant a two hour drive, which would put her home well after dark. Kim thought about calling Ron but he was supposed to go play golf with her father and Monique's dad. The thought of her husband playing a game of skill like golf made her smile inwardly, though it really had much more to do with his job. Up and coming district managers were expected to hobnob with the executives, especially when they were apparently on the fast track to the corporate offices and that meant playing golf. Somehow or another Ron managed to learn just enough of the game not to embarrass himself…too much. (He didn't have to worry about making his bosses look bad at least.)

Kim's dad suddenly found it much easier to make up a foursome, dragging his son-in-law out to play at every opportunity.

As Kim followed Sherry into the house, she was struck by how much she still looked like Shego as she stomped around the house looking for her missing husband and child. She put the first load of packages on the kitchen table.

"Maybe he forgot his cell-phone." Kim offered. "When we went off missions and put away our Kimmunicators, it took Ron a month to remember his regular cell again."

"If that was all, I'd kick his hairy blue butt anyway." Sherry raged, stomping from the downstairs bedroom into the den.

"Hairy…blue…okay, there's a mental image I could have gone without…forever. What's the big ish? I mean, his mother lives in Upperton now, doesn't she? That's at least two hours away from here."

"The 'ish,'" Sherry growled, "is that Mama Lipsky said when I called they hadn't been there all day. I don't give a flip what he does during the day, but when it comes to my daughter…"

"Sherry, you said he loves her like his own. They're probably on the road somewhere. See, there's a cell-phone sitting in the charger." She pointed to what must have been Drakken's desk, considering the piles of paper and other junk. _What was it about hyper-intelligent men who couldn't keep a clean desk anyway?_

With a harrumph, she grabbed the phone from the cradle and scrolled through the caller ID. "Moron doesn't even know to turn it off while it's in the cradle so people will know it's turned off. Has to have the latest model of the blasted thing, even one that can tie into the satellite networks so it can work at the freakin North Pole yet he's too cheap to spring for voicemail!" She continued her rant as Kim brought the last of her purchases in.

About that time a blur of violet with brown pigtails attached itself to Kim's leg.

"Aunt Kimmie!" the child screamed in obvious glee.

"Ammie! You're getting bigger every time I see you!" She tried, unsuccessfully to pry the toddler from her leg. "Stronger too!"

"Daddy took me for ice cream and he took me to see Grandma and he let me play video games with the funny lady on the TV and then we went to see the Happy Puff people at…"

"DREW THEODORE P. LIPSKY!" Sherry roared, cutting her daughter's review of her day off.

Drakken stood in the foyer, wearing a silly 'me busted' grin. "Ah, hello, Shego, dear. How was your shopping spree?" he asked sheepishly. If it wasn't for the raging spouse about to rip into him she would have thought the scene to be absolutely hilarious, especially with her former arch-enemy standing there wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt like he was trying out for the Monty Python lumberjack song.

"Why don't we go see what Mommy and I got for you at the mall while she has a little talk with Daddy." Kim said, easily slipping into babysitter mode. She led her out of the living room and into the kitchen where the bags were stacked. It was her fervent hope the shouting coming from the other room (which was mostly being done by Sherry) wasn't something the beautiful little girl had to listen to on a regular basis.

Something Amethyst said tugged at her mind. "What did you mean about playing video games with a woman on TV?" She asked, squatting so she would be at eye level with her.

"Did you buy me a new dress? In purple? She started climbing onto a chair, trying to see what was in the bags. Spying something in her favorite color she reached for it, pulling a shiny purple silk camisole from a bag. "This is a funny dress!" She modeled the flimsy silk nightie as if it were meant to be worn that way.

Kim turned a shade of red not to far off from the 'sleepwear,' carefully taking it from the girl's hands and putting it back into the 'Alexandria's Confession' bag. "I think that's part of Mommy's pajamas, not a dress." She said, searching desperately for the things that had been bought for her.

"I don't think so. Mommy doesn't wear pajamas." She said as if it were the most normal thing in the world to discuss her parent's bedroom habits. For a moment Kim was frozen in shock, not knowing how to steer the conversation away. "She likes to wear old sweaty shirts and pants and stuff since she's always complaining Daddy keeps it too cold in here."

Kim silently sighed in relief. The blue butt comment was going to cause her enough nightmares.

Suddenly it got extremely quiet outside. Horrible images of Drakken, his entrails spread out across the living room sprang to mind. Powers or no, Sherry was still an extremely dangerous woman and Drakken, well, without one of his whack inventions, was not. She poked her head out the door, instantly wishing she had not. The sight was, shall we say, immensely more disturbing.

She had seen the old comedy bit many times where a man and woman would fight, verbally ripping each other's heads off until it reached a raging crescendo, only to suddenly end up in each other's arms. The sight of Sherry and Drakken making out like that, his hands on her backside, well, it was disturbing to say the least.

"Wrongsick." Kim said to herself, not once considering a scene much like she was witnessing had led to her first time with Ron. She felt a tugging at the bottom hem of her tank top.

"Does Uncle Ron like to kiss you like that, Aunt Kimmie?"

Not knowing what else to say she simply agreed. "Uh, sure. Ron likes to kiss a lot."

"I'm going to pre-K next week and I'm going to find me a boy to kiss like that!" She grabbed her own rump and started dancing around the room making exaggerated kissing noises.

Kim swallowed hard, knowing the next thing she said was likely to come out ferociously wrong, but something had to be said at this point. "Ammie, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to grab a boy that way. That's a married people kiss."

Amethyst's eyes got huge as she processed Kim's statement. "Oooooh! Like the married people hugs Mommy told me about."

Kim buried her face in her hands, knowing the hole was getting deeper and deeper as she went.

About that moment Sherry stuck her head into the kitchen. "Oh, Kimmie! I'm glad you're still here. Would you do me an teensy little favor and put Ammie to bed for me."

"I…uh…"

"Thanks, I owe you a big one!" She smiled as Drakken's voice drifted from the top of the stairs.

"Sheeeeee….gooooooooo!" he singsonged.

_I sure hope Ron isn't feeling romantic tonight, 'cause I'm sure not going to be in the mood with these images fresh in my mind!_ She thought, sitting down at the kitchen table to sort out the little girl's gifts.

* * *

Kim drove home thanking God for small favors. For instance that, despite how much she and Sherry were alike, they didn't share one trait. Apparently in bed her old nemesis was quiet as a church mouse. Maybe that was the result of having a child in the house. Whatever the reason, she was glad not to have another disturbing image of the evening. The rest was really just old-hat for her, getting the child her bath and putting her down for bed. Unfortunately that was going to put her home far later than she wanted to be. To top it off, Ron apparently forgot his cell-phone again. After the fifth call going to voice mail she gave up. It was probably sitting in the charging cradle just as Drakken's had been.

_I'm going to have to make him start wearing his Kimmunicator again if he's going to be this bad about remembering. _She knew what was best for him, even if he didn't agree. Well, except for haircuts. She wondered how people had gotten along before cell-phones and pagers and such. How did people talk to each other?

She was still a half-hour from Middleton. It was dark out, the road was quiet and she was bored. She hit the speed-dial on her hands-free, hoping to find somebody – anybody to talk to.

Loud music assailed her ears, with an indistinct "Hello" between the loud beats.

"Monique!"

"Hello?" Repeated Monique's voice, almost completely drowned out by the music.

"Monique, turn that down!" Kim shouted over the pickup.

The music came to a halt. "Okay, you've just been played. I'm not really here, just leave a message at the beep!"

Kim growled, digging her fingernails into her steering wheel. She punched out the call, then hit another number.

"Kim?" said a familiar voice with a serious western twang.

"Joss? Were you asleep?"

"Um, yeah." She yawned. "I'm in Bermuda…just went to bed…few hours ahead here."

"Bermuda?"

"Mission stuff Kim. Can I call you back in the morning."

"Sure, no big. Sleep tight cousin."

"Nite!" Joss said as she signed off.

Mission ending in Bermuda? Kim wondered if that mission had anything to do with her cousin's latest boyfriend, who once again, was a few years older than her.

_Nah!_ A 'mission' was a sacred trust. To use it as an excuse for a romantic getaway? Not even her peculiarly rebellious cousin would do that. If their parents, friends and benefactors were to have complete faith in them, that could never happen.

Monique out and not answering her cell. Probably on a date. Knowing Monique, that could mean being incommunicado until Monday. Joss away on a mission. That could mean the Tweebs were with her as well, or perhaps on their own mission somewhere else in the world. Even though she loved her little brothers, she really didn't want to attempt a conversation with them, no matter how boring the drive was.

_Who did that leave?_

It was getting late enough she didn't want to disturb her parents. Tara was in Michigan with her fiancé. That left Bonnie.

Hard-core evil and High-School evil, both trying to be her friends now. How awk-weird was that?

Still, Bonnie's apparent turnabout or not, she wasn't quite willing to call her, beep her, or otherwise want to reach her just to yap on the phone. That would quickly turn into a one-way conversation as the tan brunette unloaded possibly a week's worth of gossip on her.

Something drew her thoughts back to Sherry's daughter.

_Playing video games with a woman on TV? What did that mean?_

Thinking furiously, she hit the speed dial for yet another number. This time a small screen in her dash came to life.

"Hi Kim!" Wade said, waving at his webcam.

"Wade, did Drakken just happen to bring his little girl to the space center to see Trinity?"

"No, the place has been closed all weekend. There weren't any tests scheduled so most of the folks have been gone. Besides, there's no way in the world we'd let him near that ship, even if he knew it was there."

"Just to be on the safe side, can you check Trin's access logs?"

"You got it. I'll have to get back to you."

"Please and thank you." She said as he signed off. It wouldn't be as quick looking into her logs from his home. Ever since the ship had been taken over by a tiny sabotage device, they had been afraid somebody else would be able to hack into her systems. It wasn't likely, but to be on the safe side they disconnected the T1 lines and shut down her communications array when nobody was aboard. Trin herself protested for a while, but Wade was able to mollify her, if only by a bit.

Something made Kim wish she had thought to take a look through Drakken's things at his desk.

She smacked her forehead, partly to keep herself alert, but mostly trying to dispel the mental image of a hairy blue butt.

* * *

Kim was surprised the lights were off at home. Not even the porch light was on. That was strange. Ron was usually very considerate about the light, to the point of leaving it on all night sometimes, thinking it was better to burn a little electricity than to have a guest or a late-arriving spouse have to fumble in the dark for keys or for the doorbell.

He was still asleep when she left that morning with Sherry. Certainly he hadn't already gone to bed! Not this early! Sure it was around ten, but he only had to check in at Bueno Nacho #582, mainly to sign off on the payroll sheets from the previous week. Even if he had nothing else to do he would either be watching TV or playing video games.

No lights came on, either upstairs or down as she unlocked the door. It only took her a few minutes to come to the conclusion he wasn't in their townhouse condo at all. Sure enough, his phone sat in its charging cradle on the hall table.

She let out a low growl as she stepped into the kitchen. The plates from last night's dinner were still sitting on the counter unwashed. True, they had been licked nearly clean by Rufus, as had the foil pan dinner had come from, but she still liked the kitchen to be neat and clean. Shaking her head, she went up to their bedroom.

_Oh, this is too much!_ She grumbled even louder at the condition of the bedroom. Their clothes from the night before were still sitting in a pile on her dresser chair, her little black dress in a wad with his work clothes. Her dry-cleaner was going to have a fit getting all the wrinkles out of it! Mumbling to herself she gathered the clothes up, putting Ron's in the hamper, her dress over the shower rod, hoping to hang some of the wrinkles out of it. At least looking at it chased some of the images from earlier in the evening away, replacing them with memories of the night before.

_Most definitely Ron's favorite dress of hers!_

_But where was he?_

Despite the late hour she dialed her parent's house.

"Daddy?...Hi!...uh, what? No, I was calling to…he never made it? You missed your Tee time…no, I just got home…no, he's not here…yes he did, it's right here on the table. No, I'm just going to call Wade…goodnight Daddy."

Her worries growing, she closed her cell and went to her jewelry box, pulling out a certain bracelet, one she hadn't worn since early in her senior year at college.

"Hi Kim, I was just about to call you back." Wade's holographic image said. "Why are you using the Kimmunicator?"

"Wade, can you get a fix on Ron?"

"He's not there with you?"

"No, he's not home. He was supposed to spend part of the day with Dad and he never showed up. I can't reach him since he forgot his cell phone." She also realized his car was there in its spot as she pulled up.

Her heart was slowing climbing into her throat. Something was wrong, definitely wrong!

"It'll take me a moment." He said. "Ron had me deactivate your tracking chips back about a month after you two started your leave-of-absence. Okay, got it. There's yours and, uh, Kim, he's just downstairs!"

Memories of nearly nineteen months earlier rushed back to her as she bolted down the stairs. She didn't even think to ask if Wade was getting any telemetry off of the chip, though she thought she could hear the answer in his voice.

She didn't see it when she came in since most of the lights had been off, but now it was clear as day. Sitting in the middle of the entry hall, clearly visible against the light tan carpet was a tiny black object about the size of a grain of rice. Not far away was a swatch of some material.

Kim picked up tracking chip. Unlike the last time there was no blood on it, but there was no mistake. Somebody had removed it from the back of Ron's neck.

Panic growing, she bent down to examine the swatch of material. It was silk. Black silk. Kim didn't own anything black made of that most particular material. All of her silk tended to be much brighter in color and her underwear, at least what she wore when she wasn't doing so to please Ron, was of the more comfortable and practical cotton variety. Basically, it wasn't hers!

If memory served her correctly, there was one person she knew to wear black silk. Specifically a black silk ninja gi!

"Wade," She said as she snapped the Kimmunicator onto her wrist. "Fire up the Blue Fox and get on the horn with the rest of the team. I'm going to Japan!" She mounted the stairs, hoping at least one of her battle suits had a full charge.


	5. The First Piece

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: The First Piece**

* * *

_Four years earlier:_

Gryphion watched as the scene unfolded before him. None could see him as he wove a spell about him, hiding him from their eyes. Just under his breath he intoned the prophecy.

_Those who have ascended have chosen their champion. The first of the Trinity, the Heart, the Wisdom! The first and greatest among them._

_The Sword has been chosen as well. For along with the wisdom there must be the will to do what is necessary. The sword is poised to strike for all that is just, for the greater good of all life!_

_The Hand has been chosen. The strength and the goodness, the power and the purity!_

_The Trinity of the Effurien stands ready to lead all from the days of darkness!_

He watched as a pair of lovers kissed. The tall man with light brown hair, the lithe woman with long, raven tresses, both of them locked in an embrace that was more than just the kiss. It was the meeting of two souls that had become entwined with each other. Too bad it couldn't last long beyond this moment! He could see the power coursing around them, understanding the meaning of every swirl, every ripple, every blending of color. Then he heard the sound as their strange communication device beeped.

The warning had been given. They knew the Heart of Arkon had been triggered and would soon obliterate that part of their world. His cloaking spell still around him, he followed them, to the chamber where one of them would meet his doom!

He watched as the heroes battled the creature known as the Omnitron. He then watched them race to the device, leaving the defeated warrior behind. The time had almost come. A man and a young woman were all that stood between them and destruction.

Gryphion knew what would happen next. From the folds of his cloak he brought forth the idol, willing its power into being. This was the first step. When his trials were complete he would rule two worlds!

The young man grabbed the red haired woman by her belt, throwing her far from the weapon, hoping it would be enough to at least save her life.

Neil Argus plunged his energy wreathed hand into the containment field of the ancient Arkonian weapon. There was a split second before the massive energies contained within were released. That split second turned into an eternity for the young man as he witnessed what would surely be his death, yet he rejoiced in that end, knowing he had become what he was born to be!

A hero!

He wasn't aware of the swirling red maelstrom of energy opening up behind him until it drew him in, nanoseconds before the blast consumed him.

There was a sound like a thunder clap. It was the same sound heard when you are too close to a large firework. Only, here, there was no burst of sparkling, burning material, only light as only a small amount of matter had been converted to anti-matter. With the containment field ruptured, normal matter rushed in and was annihilated mutually. It was not a blast that would have taken out most of South Carolina and Georgia, but everything within a thirty foot sphere was blasted down to component atoms.

The Omnitron was gone, as well as the Heart…

…and so was Neil Argus.

Pleased with his success, Gryphion left that place and once he was certain he was alone, he used the Tempus Simia to return to his proper time.

The first puzzle piece was in place!

* * *

Sidekick in trouble.

Those words, in Ron's voice, played over and over in her head. Those words, spoken to her by him over five years ago, carried power. They brought focus as her mind swept away the cobwebs ten months of inactivity had inevitably left.

She still mused how Ron was so much more than a sidekick now. Best friend, lover, husband, future father of her children…Soulmate.

_I am your soul, you are mine._

Ron added that to the otherwise traditional vows they had taken at their wedding. It was actually from the Soul Melding ceremony an aged holy woman performed for them when they were on the distant planet of Arkonia. Over the last months, Kim felt more and more there had actually been two weddings. The Blessed Mother of Arkonia had said as much, at least as far as her people were concerned. They certainly did spend that trip behaving like newlyweds.

Kim placed her palm on a handprint hidden behind her clothes. The false rear wall of the walk-in closet slid aside, revealing seven Team Possible Super Suits, three for Ron and four for her, though the extra one on her side was the original white suit she wore in the fight with Drakken at Bueno Nacho Headquarters. Ron pestered Wade for months to make him a matching suit and was rewarded with the first of his dark gray and goldenrod trimmed suits, made as an exact match for Kim's newer units trimmed in blue.

She selected one of those, stripping out of her tank and capris. The newest set, made from 25th century flex-armor combined with some of Wades technology, she considered too bulky unless the heavier protective plating was called for. Taking a cue from Ron, she slipped on a pair of her old olive mission pants, right over the suit itself, tying the blousing straps to the tops of the form fitting boots. She allowed herself a small smile recalling Ron's lament the pants cut off his view of skin-tight super-fabric stretched over her shapely athletic backside. She had four little words to say to him in response.

_Spinning Tops of Doom._

That was their code phrase to remind Ron that he had to watch what he said to certain people. The first time they ran into the Seniors, he had run off at the mouth how their home was like a lair and they could use it as a headquarters to take over the world. Among the many suggestions he made that fateful day was to include the monster, bladed killing machines. They had nearly done Kim in.

Ron was the one to suggest pants over the super-suit, well, not being able to admire her tush in one was the consequence. She, of course, made it up to him on many occasions.

She buckled her equipment belt on last, putting her old original grappler into its holster to supplement the two built into the suit itself. Her transportation was just coming to rest as she locked the front door of her townhouse.

On the outside, her new "Blue Fox Flyer" looked just like the original. It had a small side-by-side cockpit in the main module, flanked by two double engines. The majority of the outside was painted a pleasant shade of blue, trimmed in black. The canopy was treated so you could not see the occupants, though it was perfectly clear from the inside. What was new about this one (the original got shot down over Greenland, stranding the couple there for a short time) was better armor, better magnetic shielding and better sound proofing. The old one you could hardly hear yourself talk over the engines.

Wade was already onscreen as she climbed into Team Possible's primary transport for the first time in months. "Kim, are you certain about this?"

"I'm going with my gut on this one Wade."

"Okay, but I've got to warn you, the rest of the team is pretty wrapped up in stuff right now."

"Wrapped up? How?"

"Joss is in Bermuda running down a miniature particle cannon that was stolen from a research lab there. Tim is at a secure lab hidden in the Rockies investigating the latest theft of the you-know-what…"

"Don't tell me…"

"The Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer!" They said together.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda." Kim said automatically.

"Wonderful. Jim is at Global Justice Headquarters consulting on the disappearance of some dangerous tech right from under their noses there.

The pre-flight complete, the canopy closed and the little craft lifted into the air. In moments she was rocketing past downtown Middleton at five hundred miles per hour.

"Wade, it's sounding like there's something you're not telling me."

"It may be nothing, maybe just a coincidence, but so far there is one thing tying all the thefts and disappearances together."

"Let me guess." She said. "They're all items we've recovered."

"Right. We wouldn't have picked up on this but Professor Dementor chose the same moment as our mystery gatherers to attempt a grab at the Vortex Inducer himself. He got there moments too late, but close enough his more direct assault got us some fuzzy video of two figures dressed kind of like Ninjas."

"So is that all we've got so far?"

"Pretty much. Dementor was so flustered by that point he got captured, but he clammed up tight when GJ brought us in on it."

Kim sat and thought a moment. "So, I'm finding out about all this just now why?"

"No offense, Kim, but we didn't think we'd need to pull you out of your leave-of-absence over this. We're just now getting our feet wet here. None of this would have warranted your attention until we have the next full team meeting."

"Sorry, Wade, but being back in the saddle here puts me into team leader mode. So, what's missing so far?"

"Mostly smaller items, like the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, some smaller laser tech and the Roflax."

"Why would anybody want all of those things together?"

"Well, unless somebody wanted to invade another dimension with an army of giant cockroaches, I don't know. I really don't think we have enough information yet to see the big picture. I've done some checking, though and Chester Yapsby is still in prison, along with almost everyone else involved originally. They're all either locked up or otherwise accounted for."

"What if all this was just time to distract so they could go after one or more of us?"

"It could be, but we only just started piecing this together. Some of the thefts started several weeks ago."

"Yes, but if you look at it, the moment all three active members were tied up, Ron went missing."

"So you still think Yori had something to do with it?"

"That's the best guess I have right now. You verified the scan yourself, it was pure Japanese silk, a type used only by Yamanuchi instructors. She's either got something to do with it or somebody really wants us to think so. Either way, I'm going to the Yamanuchi school for answers."

"Probably a good call. I've been running down our list of usual suspects when it comes to Ron personally. Monkey Fist appears to be holed up at DNAmy's fortress right now and Gill is still in a government facility, stuck somewhere between his human and his fish-man forms. So, that leads us right back to Yamanuchi. Kim, what if it's just a case of her enlisting him on some secret quest for Sensei?"

"I thought about that, but his wallet, his wristwatch and as far as I can tell, all of his clothes were still in the apartment. I don't think he'd leave without all of those things. Plus, the last time he ran off with Yori, they took everything but the kitchen sink."

"True. Still, it's all pretty thin, but that's your call. Look, even using the sonic boom abatement equipment, the best I can do is get you there in about six hours. You don't have to do any of the flying until you're ready to set down so my advice to you is to switch off your comm and get some sleep."

"Thanks, Wade, you…" Her eyes went wide as a light bulb went off in her head. "Wade! I didn't see Rufus anywhere!"

"Are you sure, Kim?"

"If Ron was in trouble and Rufus couldn't get to him, the first thing he would have done would be to find me and try to tell me!" Kim was starting to panic slightly, the worry over her husband being compounded by the missing Naked Mole Rat.

"Okay, I accessed Ron's Kimmunicator, so far I can't pick Rufus up on the scanners, though it's not a really thorough way to scan for him. That might be a good sign. If Ron is in trouble, maybe Rufus was able to tag along with him. Or even better, if Ron left willingly with Yori, Rufus would have tagged along anyway."

"I hope you're right, but Rufus isn't as young as he used to be. He's already twice as old as any Naked Mole Rat in the wild."

"I know. Please Kim, it's getting late as far as your body is concerned. You'll do yourself and Ron a whole lot better if you get some rest. It's been a long time since you pulled a real mission related all-nighter."

"Oh, so all those late nights studying during my Senior Year don't count for anything?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't have to do that when you were working on your PHD?"

Wade sat there, not making eye contact with her.

_Well, you told him not to tell you!_

"Fine, I'll shut off the comm and try to sleep, but I'm not turning off my Kimmunicator. I don't want a repeat of last year's England run."

"If an Arkonian fighter attacks, you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks Wade, you rock."

She followed his advice and shut off the main communications system. Her flight path would take her up over Alaska, arcing down toward Japan. All she had to so was sit back and let the flyer take her there. She slipped the darker visor of her helmet down and closed her eyes. Exhaustion won out over fear and anxiety as the steady thrum of four ion engines lulled her into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Only the sounds of the jungle creatures penetrated the darkness. The moon may or may not have been up but it had been waning, approaching new. Even if some part of the heavenly orb was visible that night it was unlikely such meager light would penetrate very far through the lush canopy.

Kim and Ron, by all rights, should have been home unpacking in their tiny new apartment, sharing a few glorious days together before their Senior Year started. The had just signed a one-year lease for the place, just a few blocks from Middleton College. Their reputation smoothed over any bumps involved with the owners leasing the place to a young college couple who technically didn't have jobs. It did help that Ron was finally able to draw on a larger part of his trust fund, enabling him to pay the rent six months in advance, including the security deposit (twenty-one year olds don't get a pass on that for saving the world!)

It also didn't hurt that Kim had saved the owner's daughter from an apartment fire across town. It was, as she said, no big! That's why she carried a grappling gun made out of a hairdryer!

Only that hairdryer was not going to save them tonight. It no longer had any firing charges left in it. The most it could be used for would be to manually extend the thin, ultra-strong cable inside if they needed a rope.

It was a tight spot, alright. The darkness that night brought their pursuit to a halt, just as it had them. At least they found some semblance of shelter in the form of some old temple ruins. Ron tried his Kimmunicator once more, but something about the strange jungles here kept the devices from working. They were cut off from the outside, forced to use their wits alone.

"Do you think they're close?" Kim whispered.

"Probably." He said, straining to see something, anything in the inky blackness that enveloped them.

"They'll come as soon as it's light." She said. There was just a touch of fear in her voice. Ron didn't know whether it was a good fear, one that would make her just cautious enough, or a bad fear, one that would sap her will.

"I'm sure they will." He stroked her hair in the darkness.

Kim was tired. She had given her all fighting the goons, then trying to escape, trying to get to a point where they could signal Wade or Global Justice or simply anyone who might be willing to take them from this place. Yes she was tired. Ferociously tired. Before long she would simply give out, but she couldn't do that. There was real murder in these men! They weren't henchmen like they normally faced, they could kill and kill quickly, without any elaborate schemes or long-winded ranting gloats. They could catch them and they would do away with them. It was simple as that. Ron couldn't do this alone, no matter how good he had gotten. It was still up to her.

Yet here she was, sitting in the darkness with Ron gently touching her hair. She felt his hand touch her shoulder, guiding her downwards. Her head came to rest against his leg and she could feel him lightly stroking her hair again.

"Get some sleep." He said softly.

"What if they come?"

"Then we'll deal with it together." He replied.

She let her head rest against his thigh. A small body climbed down her waist, curling up on a couple of their discarded gloves. Rufus, at least, had the right idea.

How could she sleep when there were men out there who wanted them dead?

A hand grasped her index finger gently, holding it and by extension holding her.

She had her answer. Whatever would come with dawn would come, but Kim Possible, the great hero had her own hero to protect her. With him she could allow herself to get the rest she needed so they could prevail and she knew they would.

Kim fell into a deep sleep, cradled in her soulmate's lap, her one finger entwined with Ron's.

* * *

Kim awakened with a start, taking a moment to realize she was alone in the cockpit of the Blue Fox. For a split second she thought she was curled up against Ron, but that had only been a dream that was even now fading from her memory. The sun was up in this part of the world and she could see the open ocean rushing by beneath her.

She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled despite the controlled temperature of the tiny cabin. Something tickled her mind, something else she had seen in her dream within a dream.

_What else was missing? What horror was waiting to be unleashed on the world by these mysterious gatherers?_

The thought was fleeting, like the dream of Ron that had almost slipped back into the ether. The last of it was chased away as the craggy shores of an island nation appeared on the horizon, approaching faster than she could have imagined. She checked the instruments. Her craft was flying at four times the speed of sound, though airspeed was steadily dropping as they neared an inhabited area. The magnetic shielding could soften a sonic boom, but not damp it completely and they didn't want to chance having the military scrambled to chase an improbable aircraft with no wings!

She could see mountains in the distance now. For the first time in her life she was entering what had once been Ron's world, the one thing in his life she was not a part of. That was something she had finally come to terms with after many years, but it still sat there in her mind, like a forgotten bit of string tied to a finger that had fallen off and had been swept away, only to be found later when it really didn't matter any more.

It mattered now, though. This was her link to her missing husband. Some part of her hoped he was off on some adventure with the beautiful young woman. That wouldn't bother her in the least, knowing in her heart that she could trust Ron to the ends of the Earth like that. He would never betray her that way. That was the joy of knowing your souls were one.

Of course, if he had, she would still kick his biscuit all the way back to Middleton for doing this to her.

The navigation system chimed, announcing she was on the final approach to the school. She spotted it in the distance, recognizing it mainly from Ron's stories. There was the waterfall, the rope bridge, the path leading to the valley below. When her husband had come here, he was always forced to climb the steep path to the school, as all the students were. Today she didn't have time for that. There was just enough room in the courtyard to land. With the flip of a switch, control of the Blue Fox shifted to her. It had been some months since she had flown one of these, but the computer still exerted just enough control to keep her from making a critical mistake.

However, as the canopy rose she realized she may have made one anyway, judging from the expressions of the ninjas approaching her and at the sheer number of naked blades pointed at her!

* * *

_A/N - Once again I am paying an homage to some of the great artwork found over at DeviantArt. This time it's a new work by Minnesotamutt titled **Saint Stoppable**. For one thing, she's captured what Kim and Ron really look like in my minds eye at this point in their life, for the other, it's just a magnificent work of art._


	6. Questions of Identity

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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* * *

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**Chapter 6: Questions of Identity**

* * *

Sherry Lipsky sat up in her bed, blinking back sleep, the day and night before nothing more than a blur of pent up emotions and images that both comforted and disturbed her. The sun was fully up, the birds were chirping outside, still active in the waning days of summer. Almost immediately she started going down a mental checklist of things to do for the day. Get Amethyst to Pre-K, wash clothes, go out for groceries, pick up Drew's make-up (he didn't have the luxury of being able to turn back to normal like she could.)

As she walked by a framed picture of the summit of Mt. Middleton, she caught her reflection and stopped. She no longer recognized who she saw. The black and green jumpsuit was gone. Her exotic mint-green skin was gone. Even her trademark mane of black hair, gone. Not only gone, but she'd done some goody-two shoes thing of donating the long tresses for kids who lost their hair to chemo!

_That was something Princess would do! What's happened to me?_

_I'm a freaking housewife! That's what!_

She shuffled into the kitchen, pulling her housecoat on tighter. Among the bags still sitting on the table was a note in Drew's barely legible scrawl. _What drove men like him to write so tiny?_

_Shego; I decided to let you sleep in this morning, so I took Ammie to Pre-K myself. I need to talk to some of the professors at Middleton College about my research project and I should be home in time for a late lunch._

_Love, Dr. D._

She smiled at the note. At least Drew still called her Shego. In fact, he couldn't be broken of the habit, even in company who weren't supposed to know they were ex-super villains.

_Ex-super villains._

What just happened?

She got up from the table and went into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She stood there a long time, just wondering who it was staring back at her. Then her imagination started running wild and she thought she could see a tiny figure, dressed all in silver and white (yes, a silver and white Shego jumpsuit!) standing on her shoulder.

_You've only twenty-eight, you have a beautiful daughter, a doting husband, a nice home and you've got enough money squirreled away to live relatively comfortably for years._

Of course, whenever the angel appears on one shoulder, you know who's going to be on the other.

And there she was – right down to her red and black jumpsuit.

'_Sha, right! You almost took over the world with that 'doting husband' of yours. So now you're just going to settle for this…domestic bliss? _The devil side spit the last out with venom.

_What did that buy you?_ The tiny Shego in white asked. _Living hiding under the wings of somebody who was supposed to be your worst enemy, trying to play nice like you're her friend? Living with the fear that one day they will take you and your husband away, sending your daughter to live with strangers?_

_If you had kept at it, you could order anyone on Earth to take care of your daughter! Now what are you going to give her? A nice little comfortable life where she can go off to Pre-K and meet some funny little boy?_

She screwed her eyes shut, trying to banish that image, trying to force the angel/devil conversation from her mind. Without realizing it she was back in her bedroom.

Opening the bottom drawer of her dresser, she took the entire pile of clothing out. She pressed the middle of the drawer and the false bottom popped open. There was barely an inch of space in there, but it was enough. She held the garment up in the light, trying to force her heart to slow down.

Before she knew it she was shrugging out of her house coat, pulling the long t-shirt over her head. She stood there a moment more, holding her clothing at arms length. Finally she stepped into it, feeling the cool smoothness of the fabric against her skin. She snapped the double-breasted front over her bosom and smoothed out the wrinkles.

It felt like home to her!

Then she saw herself in the mirror again.

She saw a housewife with short black hair, lightly tanned skin and brown eyes play-acting that she was Shego. She scowled at the mirror, then smirked.

Try as she might, all she saw was Sherry Lynette Godfrey Lipsky.

And most of that wasn't even her real name. She got Wade to send her a copy of her birth certificate, since she couldn't get it through official channels. It listed her name only as "Baby Girl Marks."

She didn't even have a full name. Was that why she spent so much of her life being just "Shego?"

With a low growl she sat down heavily on the end of her bed, reaching for the snaps of her jumpsuit. Then she noticed her helmet sitting on her dresser chair.

Moments later, still wearing her trademark jumpsuit, Sherry roared down the mountain road on her motorcycle, not quite sure where she was going or why.

* * *

Ron blinked twice, trying to figure out where he was. The air around him seemed oppressive and thick, full of smells, not many of them pleasant. He sat up, gingerly rubbing his temples as he tried to clear his head. His arm and chest muscles twitched in pain, bringing back memories of staff shaped weapons being leveled on him, sending back into unconsciousness.

"Don't let him wake up." He heard a voice say, only that's not what the female speaker had said. He tried remembering the words, but they would not come back to him now. He was certain it wasn't English or Latin or even French (or Norwegian!) Then the beam struck him, sending him into blackness again.

This time it was different. He was no longer in some kind of vehicle. He had the presence of mind to realize he was being moved before. Now he was sitting in some kind of cell. In the dim light he could make out a solid metal door. There were no windows, no bars, only a room carved from stone barred with a metal door. The only light came from small oil lamp sitting on a rough hewn wooden table.

In the guttering light, he realized he wasn't alone.

The man was sitting in the opposite corner of the cell. At least Ron thought he was a man. He seemed larger than normal and his face was somehow…different. Maybe it was the nose, or perhaps his pale white flesh or the fact there wasn't a hair visible on his body. A hairless albino?

He regarded Ron with eyes that seemed to suggest an inner gentleness that belied the huge muscles of the creature. Yes, he looked like a man, just a strange one. It almost seemed like he had no nose, only nostrils on his flat face.

"Bahoka'k d'gah del gr'ahk?" he asked

_Was he locked up with an escapee from a Space Passage convention? Was the strange man actually speaking Corpulon?_

"Um, hello, uh, speak a da English." He said, eliciting a confused look from his cell mate.

Ron sat up a little straighter, realizing he was still dressed only in a pair of paisley silk boxers. Then again, the stranger seemed to be dressed only in rags himself.

"D'kar ra nego Englash…maybe Arkonian?"

Ron shook his head again. He was certain the second half of the sentence had not been in English, yet he understood it!

_Arkonian!_

_Oh no!_

Without quite understanding how, by concentrating, Ron could form the words he wanted to say in the alien language.

"You speak Arkonian? Arkonian, like I'm speaking now?"

"You are certainly a strange little human." The albino said. "Your accent is very bad, but I can understand your words now. It is useful to speak the language of your enemy, no?"

"I, um, guess."

Ron's mind was working furiously, processing the information. Now that he thought of it, the woman's voice he heard when he briefly came to had been speaking this language, and he understood it? And it was Arkonian?

Memories of his trip to the alien world, improbably inhabited by humans, rushed back to him. What did the Arkonians have to do with his abduction, and how had they managed to do it with Yori?

_Yori!_

No! That wasn't Yori. The woman he knew would not have tried that. Then there was Rufus, trying to tell him it wasn't her. He wanted to believe that…

…except for one thing.

When she surprised him in his home she said something, seemingly in jest.

"Stoppable-san, I see you are still practicing your 'screams of courage.'"

Long ago, when she had come to him for aid in finding Sensei, she had surprised him then as well and naturally he had screamed. To cover his embarrassment he quickly said the same thing himself, pumping his fist in the air. He was certain it didn't fool the young ninja, who took it as more of his 'American style humor.'

There were exactly three people in the world who knew about that conversation, and one of them was a Naked Mole Rat!

The other two were Ron and Yori. After they started dating, Ron eventually told Kim everything about his time at Yamanuchi. There was no reason to hold that back any more, but he never mentioned anything about that. It just wasn't an important detail.

If that wasn't Yori, how did she know to say that?

"So, who are you?" The large, apparent alien asked him.

"Ron, Ron Stoppable."

"You don't sound Arkonian. Unless you are from some isolated region I know not of."

"Um, no, I'm from Colorado. Uh, that's on Earth."

"Earth? Never heard of it. I am Sagan Del Maath, General of the Imperial Army of Tor El Ka."

"Sorry, big guy, I've never heard of that one myself."

"Amazing they would bring one so tiny as you for the games. Most of the gladiators here are Torellians like me."

"I'm not so…did you say gladiators?"

"Of course! These are the slave pens of Dekma Den Taag on the planet Troxxite. I don't know exactly what they have planned for you, but judging from your stature I don't think it would be to make much sport against a Torellian Warrior."

Ron pulled his legs up to his body on the cold floor.

_What was going on? Another planet? Again?_

_Kiiiiiiiiim! _His mind screamed

* * *

Kim staggered just a step as at least a hundred angry swordsmen circled her, their blades leveled at her heart.

"Ron?" she said, raising a hand to her temple.

_Maybe he was near!_

"This is no place for you to be, Kim Stoppable-san." Said a familiar voice as the ring of shadow warriors parted. Sensei looked precisely as he had five years earlier, as if time had to hold upon him.

_Like and ageless one_, she thought suddenly.

"Where's Ron and where's Yori." Kim demanded, now angry with herself for causing such a scene at the mountaintop school. Perhaps she would have been wiser to have landed at the base of the mountain and hiked up.

No, that would have taken half the day. She wanted to find Ron now!

"You come to me with questions for which I have no answer, Kim Stoppable-san." With a subtle gesture dozens of ninjato swords found their homes in wooden scabbards once more, though the ring of assassins did not disperse, keeping hooded eyes on the battle suited redhead.

Kim regarded the ancient teacher with confusion evident on her face. "You mean you don't know where they are? I thought you kept tabs on Ron, and Yori lived here?"

"Walk with me, please." He said. The words were more of a command and Kim found her feet stepping out of her aircraft, following him toward a small pavilion. The gathered ninjas finally turned and dispersed, knowing the threat had now passed. They would not have done so had Sensei not shown his trust in the flame-haired woman.

"I admit, we do follow the life of your husband with much interest, but we do not posses the means to know his every single move. As for Yori, I am ashamed to say that she has betrayed the school and stolen that which was destined to belong to Stoppable-san."

Kim gasped. "The Lotus Blade?" she guessed.

"Indeed. Three weeks ago she simply vanished. She took the sword with her as well. It is my hope that she has discovered something and her actions were taken to protect the blade until such time as it is to be given to your husband, but I fear other, darker forces are at work here."

"Sensei, when I came home last night, Ron was gone. Nobody had seen him all day and he left almost all his belongings at our home. I also found his tracking chip, which had been removed from his body so we couldn't trace his location. With it, was this." She pulled out the torn scrap of black silk.

The old man studied the tattered bit of shiny cloth. His countenance fell, telling Kim that he recognized it as well.

"That is indeed part of Yori's clothing. This is not good tidings you bring us. So much is at stake now for the likes of her to be corrupted by the darkness."

"What?" Kim asked. "What's going on?

"Some months ago something happened. Yori was named the Keeper of the Blade when she was made an instructor here at the school and one night she came to me, fear in her eyes. Of its own volition the Lotus Blade rose out of its ceremonial cradle, changing before our eyes. Now, I am sure Stoppable-san has told you that the blade can take on other shapes, but never taking on the form of another sword. It was always other types of weapons. When it settled back down it would not change back, no matter how much I willed it to.

"When your husband came to us last year, we had no answers for him at that time. Nothing in our ancient scrolls, nothing in the prophecies of the Monkey Monks, nothing we could find could explain these changes. That is, until a strange woman came to visit me about six months ago. She simply walked right into the school and to my surprise, none of my students or my graduates rose to stop her. It was as if Yori and I were the only ones who could see her, though when questioned later my students admitted they had indeed seen her enter.

"She sat down and patiently explained many things, about how one spirit world could work within another, about how the Mystical Monkey Power within Stoppable-san had become entwined with another power. The she held out her hand as the Lotus Blade came ripping through the wall. It came to rest in her at her feet, glowing softly in the dusk.

"The woman warned me that dark powers would try to control the bearer of the blade, that alone that man would be vulnerable. She left, telling us that soon he would be called, and that his companions would rise with him to the challenge of the darkness. We were about to send for both of you when Yori vanished. Now all may be lost." He hung his head as he said the last. "If what you say is true, then perhaps we are now too late. The evil of one world will spread to this one."

Kim put her hand to her mouth as he said that. She realized just who the woman must have been.

_The Blessed Mother!_

"Sensei, you said the Lotus Blade changed. Did it look something like this." She traced the general outline of a curved sword in the sand, paying particular attention to the shape of the grip. "There was also a symbol carved on the end of the grip." She drew that in the sand as well.

Sensei's eyes grew big as saucers. "That is indeed the form the Blade had assumed. How did you know this?"

"I've seen that sword before! It's the Sword of the Effurien! Sensei, that was the Blessed Mother of Arkonia! The Lotus Blade somehow transformed into the sword we lost on Arkonia!"

He nodded at her. "It seems as if you have much to tell me as well."

"There's no time, Sensei. I've got to find Yori and Ron!"

"Patience, dear girl. With knowledge we may find the answers we seek." He patted the stone bench where Kim had been sitting a moment before.

Again, she knew it was a command and almost couldn't help but obey.

* * *

The green and black Ducati sped down the mountain road, hugging each turn as its driver expertly traversed the winding track.

Behind the darkened visor, though, she blinked back tears she didn't understand.

_What is wrong with me?_

Taking over the world, that was Drew's dream. She was just along for the ride, wasn't she?

Try as she might, she couldn't answer that question.

And what was all that with the Princess? A truce she could understand but that would mean taking her daughter and walking away from her for good. With her out of the villain game, she should have been able to put Kim Poss…Stoppable out of her life for good.

_Why, then, did she call her up like she was one of her girlfriends…to go shopping?_

_What was it the buffoon always said? Oh, yeah, Sick and Wrong!_

But she did it and somehow, some part of her thought it was fun! That in some, strange way thinking of Kimmie as a friend somehow made her complete.

Pulling up behind a long line of SUVs and pickups laden with mountain bikes she decided to take a break, pulling off the road and removing her helmet. Out of habit she shook her head to free her great waterfall of ebony.

_Oops. Ain't there no more_ she had to remind herself.

She reached down to the pouch strapped to her left leg. Cops always assumed it was an ankle holster. Kind of silly thing for a woman who has her own built-in weapons, but hey, what did those fools know anyway. Shego always was a bit (just a bit?) vain, and a pouch on her leg didn't ruin the lines of her perfect figure! Who wants pockets on a skin-tight jumpsuit! And, since when did super villains carry a purse!

Sherry pulled out a compact and looked at her bloodshot eyes. "Oh, aren't you the lovely sight." She said out loud. Bloodshot eyes, helmet hair and no shower since the previous morning. _Sex – ay, no lie! _She mocked herself.

She staggered a moment, not sure about what was going on. She wasn't dizzy but she wasn't completely alright either. Almost in a panic she grabbed her helmet and cranked up her bike, spinning the tires as she headed back down the mountain toward the Tri-Cities.

* * *

Amethyst Lipsky was not shy. Granted, she had never before been around many other kids her age, but once she got to talking, she just about wouldn't stop.

Pre-K was opening a whole new world for the bright little girl.

That was, until the inevitable happened.

Even Pre-K has a rather rigid social order. At the top of the heap were the 5 year olds, especially the ones whose birthdays fell earlier in the year, making them the biggest and the oldest of the bunch.

There always have been and there always will be playground bullies. Whether it's something about human nature or just the lack of parental guidance, there are always bad seeds out there.

"Oh, look at the purple girl!" One boy, a red haired little monster with darkened eyes said, pointing at Amethyst. She scowled at him, smoothing out her lavender top and purple denim dress.

"I like purple. My name means purple!" She screamed, balling her tiny fists.

"No it doesn't. It's a purple rock. That's what I'm going to call you, little purple rock, because you have rocks in your head."

"Take that back!" She raged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Or what, you'll throw little purple rocks at me?"

None of them noticed her fists starting to glow with a soft purple light.

"Oh, what are you going to do? Run off an cry like my big brother Shawn does now? Come on, cry, cry baby cry! Bwahahahaha, c'mon, cry!"

A blast of purple colored energy lifted the boy several feet in the air. He landed on his backside, staring at the enraged little girl.

"I don't cry!" Amethyst screamed, her whole upper body wreathed in swirling energy.


	7. Will the Real Yori Please Stand Up?

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Will the Real Yori Please Stand Up?**

* * *

Yori's eyes narrowed as she watched the two thieves drop to the floor from an impossibly thin line. Her fan blades eased out of her belt. This time she was ready for them. This time they would not elude her. They would lead her to the Chosen One or...or they would learn the darker purposes of a ninja!

She had been on their trail ever since their failed attempt to steal the Lotus Blade. They were good, as good as any who had been trained at Yamanuchi but on one is perfect. Still, it was only by random chance she spotted them as they approached the Chamber of the Blade. In a snap decision she beat them there and stole it herself, disappearing into the night, leaving only the slimmest of trails in order to both lead them away from the school and to give Sensei some hint as to what she was doing. She had no way of knowing if he actually got the message.

They followed for a short time before turning their attention to a new target. Yori turned from hunted to hunter, trying at first to divine their purpose. It was not long before their trail led to Middleton. It was there she learned she needed to step up her chase. They needed to be stopped, not just watched.

What she did not expect was that something or someone lay waiting in ambush. She never knew what hit her only that she awakened on the rooftop of a recently constructed row of townhouses. Somehow she could not recall how she had gotten there. She thanked Buddha she had left the Blade hidden or it would have been delivered into her enemy's hands by now. Still, nothing she had been carrying was missing as it appeared her attacker only meant to delay her. The only evidence of her attack was a slight headache. Not even her fan blades were missing. Amazing that someone who could get the drop on a ninja would leave her most potent weapon!

The trail was clear to her. Their target had been the home. Slowly the memory came back to her. She had tracked them here and was ready to move in when a third figure rose from a roof-mounted HVAC unit. That was all she remembered of the attack, but it was now obvious they wanted something within this particular home. It was difficult getting past a surprisingly good security system, but not beyond her skills. Once she gained entrance to the home, trained senses told her that she had missed her quarry only by a short time. Then she happened to look at the photographs adorning the walls all around the townhouse.

_This was Stoppable-san's home!_

It all began to fall into place in her mind. The items stolen all had something to do with him and his new wife. _What was now missing from their home?_ Nothing seemed out of place save some clothing strewn about the den (Yori may have been demure and relatively inexperienced with men but she wasn't stupid – she could tell there wasn't anything suspicious about that, especially considering the burned down candles on the dining room table and all around the room.) What could they have in their home? Computer equipment? Mission tools? Perhaps some recovered piece of technology that had not been picked up by the rightful owner yet?

Skilled ninja or not, she didn't know what she was looking for. That didn't mean she wasn't going to try! Methodically she started at the window where the thieves had gained entry. The room was nearly empty save for a couple mismatched pieces of furniture. There was an odd blue chair and a small student desk with a hutch top. A swivel chair with a sunburst emblem was pushed under the otherwise empty desk. All three of the bedrooms were upstairs, with a den, living room, kitchen and dining room on the first floor. The second small bedroom had been set up as an office of sorts. A sophisticated computer/communications center was set up there. Shelves were filled both with books and an assortment of equipment, none of which looked as if they had been used recently, despite the home showing signs it had only recently been occupied.

Yori made a slight face when she realized the home had been purchased with the hope that the other room would be filled, possibly in the not to distant future. A touch of regret passed over her, reminding her that decisions had been made, decisions beyond her control. She had missed her chance and that was something she would have to live with.

Still, it appeared nothing in the small office had been disturbed. If files had been taken from the computer, she had no way of knowing.

She bit her lip in frustration. This was a job for forensic science, not for a ninja on the trail of two, possibly three thieves!

Her emotions were harder to control as she carefully searched the master bedroom.

The room struck her as slightly odd, at least based on what she knew of the occupants. It was spartan, almost peculiarly so. There was the bed, two night stands, a table with two chairs and two dressers flanking a walk-in closet. What seemed so odd was the lack of anything like a television, a radio or even a telephone in the room. For a couple who lived their life in constant communication, the room seemed like the polar opposite.

Then she got it.

_It was a refuge!_

It was the one place in the world that had been set aside for the two of them, where nothing from the rest of the world would intrude. It was where Stoppable-san could be with the woman he loved and she could be with him, where the whole world was just about them.

She nodded approvingly. It is what she would have done, though the décor would have been somewhat different!

Still, her search was proving more than frustrating. If the other intruders had been here, there was no clue. Nothing seemed to be disturbed, except for the fact the bed had not been made. She smiled again, guessing that Stoppable-san's wife had granted him the kindness of sleeping in. What she knew of Kim-san, it was unlikely the bed would have been left in such a state.

Making quick work of the two upstairs baths, she made her way downstairs once more. The den was still unrevealing. Men's trousers, a tie, a dress shirt (_were these actually Stoppable-san's clothes?_) and a woman's dress she knew she would never fit into (and wondered how even the more petite Kim Stoppable-san got into too!) were the only thing odd about the room. She turned and crossed the hall into the kitchen.

Then she saw something that gripped her heart with talons of ice!

Lying in the middle of the kitchen floor was the limp form of a naked mole rat.

Rufus was alive and seemed to be uninjured, but something had left him unconscious and completely unresponsive. She began to fear that it was not some _thing_ the thieves had been looking for…

…it was some_one_.

Without being able to revive him and not knowing what else to do, she gently placed Rufus in the folds of her gi.

She searched the home one more time for something, anything that gave her a clue. Finally her eyes came to rest on a scrap of black fabric on the floor. She picked it up, examining it, thinking at first it could be part of the cocktail dress she found discarded in the den. Instead it seemed to be ordinary silk, much like her clothing, but of lesser quality.

_Why would somebody leave a scrap of silk like this behind? What does it mean? If they took Stoppable-san, were they trying to imply that he had gone with another woman? He would never do such a thing! His bond with his wife is too strong! I know this now in my heart, no matter how much it pains me to admit it!_

She caught her reflection in the hall mirror, noting the black silk gi she was wearing. Black silk.

_They didn't want to imply he left with another woman of his own free will, they wanted to imply he was taken by a very specific woman!_

_Two can play at that game_ she thought grimly, ripping a scrap from the end of her belt, pocketing the other. Somebody wanted those who found this scene to think it was her? _Let them come!_

It took her into the next day to pick the trail up once more. In doing so she caught sight of Stoppable-san's wife leaving the city in her car, following a motorcycle. It would have made sense to tell the woman what she had learned and enlist her aid, but she had no time to divert her attention to the redhead, no matter how much she would add to her chase. Doing so she risked losing her quarry once more, possibly for good. That was not going to happen. If Stoppable-san…Ron was in trouble, she would come to his rescue. Yes, despite the fact he would again return to his wife, Yori was still his friend and there was still a bond of honor that went beyond the love he had for his wife or the love she had for him, still smoldering in her heart.

Was she wrong about her conclusions? What if they had indeed simply stolen something from the house, surprising Stoppable-san's bond-animal in the process. No, her instincts told her that he was in trouble. That was confirmed when Rufus woke up. The little rodent shrieked when he saw Yori, but quickly came around as he got a good whiff of her scent. He spent a few minutes climbing all over her until he was convinced she was the genuine article.

It still took some time for him to relate to her what had happened. Ron and, to a more limited degree, Kim could understand his squeaks most of the time, but Yori's less complete grasp of English made him more difficult to understand. She finally got the important details after much pantomime and improvised sketches in the dirt. Stoppable-san kidnapped, seemingly by a fake version of Yori.

Was that what had attacked her? Why would they have used a doppelganger of her? If they were simply abducting him, why such an elaborate measure?

The thieves did not stay in Middleton for long. The trail led west, out into the desert. They unwittingly led her to a lab hidden under the desert floor itself, somewhere deep in the southwestern desert. The lab itself, complete with a large (not 'lair' large but much larger than normal) computer monitor and shelves lining most of the rough-hewn stone walls. They were already working on the safe mounted to the floor when she approached. For the first time she had a clear view of them. A man and a woman, both in skin tight black suits that resembled her Gi but had none of the wrappings or loose folds. All of the equipment they brought was contained in black equipment belts that hugged their waists. There was no sign of a third intruder.

The male was obviously standing watch as the other one worked on the locking mechanism. They were using some high-tech miniature electronic device to defeat the lock. She carefully examined them. The male was just a hair under six feet tall, thin but with wiry muscles moving underneath his suit. The woman was lithe, slimmer than Yori. This clearly wasn't the one who had masqueraded as her.

The safe door beeped and a light on the lock mechanism turned green. Silently, the heavy door swung open on well-oiled hinges. She reached inside and withdrew a piece of white cardboard with a number of round, spike edged devices with tiny black screens on them. Placing them into a padded pouch, she reached inside once more, withdrawing a pair of small control devices made of dull green plastic.

They had what they came for. Carefully the safe door was shut and locked. Hoping they would be distracted by completing their task, Yori chose that moment to strike.

She had been in plain view for some time now, using her skills to make her nearly invisible. However, once she moved, she was plainly visible.

In the space of a heartbeat, the male thief ducked her blow. In the same motion he rose, bringing a fist crashing into her midsection. She blocked out the pain, rolling away from the punch, landing on her feet as the two intruders circled her.

With a flick of her wrists, her fan-blades snapped open. While they were in fact deadly weapons in their own right, the fan's primary use was to distract. They had their intended effect, at least on the woman. Blind luck with a dash of hard-won battle instinct saved her as the man swept her legs. She stumbled sideways, knowing that if he had connected fully her knee would have been shattered.

Even in the heat of battle, her mind was hard at work, assessing her opponents. What had seemed like distraction on the part of the female had actually been a feint. They were acting in unison, as a team and they were good. Very good.

Something tickled the back of her mind about the man's attack, about his fighting style. It was so, fluid!

Snapping her hand back, she disengaged one of the bladed spikes of her fan. With another flurry of blinding feints and slashes, she flicked her wrist. The spike sailed forth, finding it's mark, burying itself deep in the thigh of her male assailant.

Snapping the other fan back in her palm, she landed a good jab to the woman's jaw. Her head snapped back as Yori followed through, dropping to the floor and sweeping her legs out from beneath her.

These two were professionals. With the exception of a surprised grunt when the blade struck home, neither of them had uttered so much as a sound.

Satisfied she now had everything she needed, she let herself get lost in the fight. She blocked, feinted, punched, kicked, all the while keeping the woman from getting back to her feet. She could hear the hiss of air as the bloodied spike sailed through the air. Without looking she put her hand out, snatching it from the air. She spun on her heal, using her momentum to catch the man in the side of the face. He was fortunate she had switched directions with the spike or he would have been impaled.

The woman executed a perfect back flip from her nearly prone position. Moving before she could plant her feet, Yori grabbed at her head. The visor and mask came away in her grip.

She stood there in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.

It was Kim Stoppable-san!

Yet, there was something different about her. True, she had last seen the woman when she was still a teen, not yet fully grown into womanhood, but this was beyond even that. Her red hair was cropped short, almost boyishly. Her green eyes looked almost…haunted! She was also gaunt, much the way an endurance athlete looked.

If this was Stoppable-san's wife, who had she seen in Middleton?

Sensing the rush of air, she dodged a fist aimed straight at the back of her head. She spun around once more, finding herself behind her male attacker. Almost against her will, she grabbed at his mask.

_No!_

She backed up a pace as the two Stoppables squared up in front of her. Yori's eyes darted back and forth between them, fear starting to replace the combat high she had been enjoying moments before.

"I know you." He said.

It wasn't his voice! Suddenly the spell was broken and Yori knew what she was up against. This was not Stoppable-san and his beloved wife. This was something else entirely, something perverse! Her fists curled around her fans as the rage built within her. Her plump lips curled into a scowl as she stopped her retreat, standing her ground against them.

"She is the Keeper of the Blade." The false-Kim said. The voice might have been hers with practice, but the accent was all wrong, as if the speaker had not learned English first.

"She has the sword we seek." The false-Ron said, almost dispassionately.

Once again Yori said a silent prayer of thanks she had left the ancient weapon in the care of Rufus!

"I don't know what the two of you are, but as the real Stoppable-san would say, you are _sickwrong_!"

"Interesting, though I think the words you are looking for are sick and wrong." The red haired doppelganger said in such a monotone Yori couldn't tell if she was mocking her or must making some kind of statement.

"You are correct that I have chosen the incorrect expression." Yori leaped into the air, never taking her eyes off the false-Kim. Instead of attacking her, she swept her leg out to the side, taking the false-Ron by surprise. He went down, stunned from the blow.

"The proper term is in fact _WRONGSICK_!" She popped up from her landing place, grabbing the female by her collar, slamming her to the floor.

"Where is Stoppable-san!" She asked through clenched teeth.

"The Sword is no longer here." She said with a mocking smile, her voice still a near monotone.

Yori noticed the reflection in the green eyes a moment too late as the false-Ron brought both fists down on the back of her head. She never saw the two don their masks once more and disappear from the darkened lab.

It only seemed like moments later she was opening her eyes once more. Standing over her was a lithe woman with long hair spilling down her back, The light was behind her but she knew the silhouette.

"Kim Stoppable-san?" She asked, trying to get up.

A hand forced her back down roughly. As her eyes adjusted she realized a slightly younger woman with brown hair and turquoise eyes was glaring at her with menace in her eyes.

"What have you done with my cousin's husband?" She growled in a thick western twang made worse by her anger.

* * *

A/N – I'm a stickler for timeline and when things occur but I think I've left it a bit too unclear when things are taking place, so, basically, here's where certain events in my universe fall:

_So the Drama_ – Late May, 2005. Kim and Ron's junior year and Junior/Senior prom (that's the way we did it at my school and Brick was there (according to info about the upcoming Season 4 he's a senior at this point.)

_They Say Everyone Has a Twin_ – Identified as occurring during the summer of 2005, before Kim and Ron's 17th birthdays.

_Glow_ – Winter/Spring 2006. Shego and Neil both turn 24.

_Soulmates of the Fury / Motor Court Blues_ - August, 2006, after Kim and Ron's 18th birthdays.

_Blade of the Fury_ – February, 2009, halfway through their Junior year of college. They're 20 at this point.

_What's the Hitch?_ – Spring/Summer of 2010.

_Heart of the Fury_ – September, 2010. Kim and Ron have recently turned 22


	8. Wild Child

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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* * *

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**Chapter 8: Wild Child**

* * *

Among his kind he had never been given a name. They had no purpose for it. He was simply the strongest, most cunning among them. He was also the most evil. The people who infested his world had been the ones who saw fit to give him a proper calling. They called his kind Malevolous, the demons of old. He was chief among them and he was given a special name. 

_Malendragma._

They were dark and twisted creatures, springing from the abyss at the dawn of time. Some of the stood like a man, some took on other shapes, seeming to be dark and terrible beasts or other creatures that otherwise only lived in the nightmares of men. Still others took on no true form at all, their evil unbound by any physical body.

The lord of the Malevolae did have a form and it was terrible to look upon. He had the body of a man, though he stood twice as tall as the largest man who ever lived. His skull, in fact the entirety of his head looked like it had been pulled from either end, with great horns springing from the sides, curling upwards. From his back sprang a long, segmented tail that ended in a cruel ball of spikes. Folded behind his arms were great wings, much the same as those on the bat-like vashas creature that lived on that world.

For uncounted eons the people of that world lived in fear of the demons. Many of his lesser brethren would appeal to him; let them hunt all of them down, freeing their domain of the infestation by those puny creatures.

Ah, he would say to them, how much more delicious is it to feast upon their fear and suffering. How much better is it to sup upon their souls, knowing the rest of them would cower before you, some even worshiping you, serving you lest the same fate befell them. Then the succulent taste of their forfeit soul when you still take it from them.

Delicious.

Yet, in the end, there were too few of them and they had become lazy, complacent as their thralls grew, matured, learned.

The human spirit will not stand for evil forever.

Among the people rose three champions. Their might combined, they threw down the demons, destroying their bodies, casting them once more into the abyss from which they sprang. The Demon Wars claimed many lives, but in the end it was Man who claimed the world for their own.

Yet they did not realize; the demons could not be wholly destroyed.

Arkon, the greatest among the Trinity who had defeated the Malevolae, knew this to be so and knew that one day the bans he placed on the abyss would weaken and break, unleashing their dark evil upon the world again.

So it finally came to pass. His form gone, destroyed in the distant past, Malendragma found his spirit once again adrift in the world of men. He sought refuge, finding it in the form of a newborn girl-child.

She grew into womanhood, never suspecting what she carried inside her. It wasn't until she was fully adult that he had the strength to influence her will. He took her from her home, deep into the world itself, his power growing within her until the day she met…_him!_

He had never seen power like this before. The man had an untapped potential that would have rivaled Arkon himself, yet he was only aware of the barest flicker of it! Seeing his chance, he started plotting, scheming how best to take advantage of his good fortune. His course was obvious. Make the woman seduce him and the power would be his.

That proved more difficult than he could have imagined. Besides the power within the man, there was an overriding goodness. Just like that thrice cursed mage, the man had a hero's heart. Not only that, but his soul had been tied to another's.

Wait! That was it! The other soul had once been a hero, but it had been corrupted by evil! Only the innate goodness of this man had been able to turn that soul back to the light, but it provided a doorway. Then one day, before his plan could unfold, the man disappeared.

He tried to make the woman leave, to pursue this new man but the man she lived with would have none of it. His will could now command hers, but her body was not powerful and he still did not have the strength to add his to hers. Yet where strength was lacking, guile could suffice. With a seemingly careless remark, evil men descended upon the home, hoping to steal treasures that were not really there. Dissatisfied, they killed the man who was there and burned the home.

It took some time, but the woman bearing his essence finally found the man. He had been forced to fight in a great battle and had somehow emerged victorious. Seizing the chance, he once again had her throw herself at him, and this time, weary from the battle yet full of his growing power, he agreed.

Malendragma fled the woman's body and soul. She would live out her days with her own will once more, though she would forever bear the mark of his presence. Now it would take all of his growing power to control this _hero._

As would the seed the man had left her with.

* * *

Joss Possible pushed the Japanese woman back down to the floor of Cyrus Bartol's Arizona lab, her blue/green eyes full of fire and anger, bordering on rage. She was already upset when she reached the site, more so when she saw the woman she was looking for lying unconscious in the midst of the research facility. Then she had come to and said what was probably the very worst thing she could have to Kim Stoppable's younger cousin. 

The beautiful teen from Montana had a peeve button, and Yori just jumped all over it!

When Jocelyn Renée Possible turned twelve, she knew exactly what she wanted to be and that was to be just like her big cousin Kim! She absolutely worshiped the ground the older girl walked on, copying everything about her from her catchphrases, her equipment, right down to her black crop-top mission shirt (much to the chagrin of her father, Slim Possible, who thought pre-teen ladies shouldn't go about in such revealing getups with her belly button peeking out! After all, this was Montana, not Las Vegas!)

When Drakken and Shego appeared at the Crooked D Ghost Town Theme Park with their "Silly Hats" scheme she got her chance. It turned out that just plain copying Kim wouldn't work, she would have to be her own person and do things her way to succeed. Be that as it may, she was hooked and hooked good on the life of an adventurer.

She was bright, intelligent, resourceful, but early on she had a tough go of it. For one, she wasn't a cheerleader. In fact, there were so few students in her class they didn't actually have a cheerleading squad, mostly because they didn't have enough students to field any kind of proper team. Mostly they just made the rounds of the middle-school rodeo circuit.

In the end, those were the skills she brought to the table as she started making a name for herself, helping people in need all over Montana at the tender age of fourteen.

Then two things that may or may not have been related happened to her. For one, she started growing up. She grew a few inches and started blossoming into a beauty of a young woman. Overnight she started receiving all kinds of attention, all of it from the boys. Slim had to cast many a narrow eyed glance at some of the younger hands on his ranch, his hand patting the control for 'Old Tornado' before they got the message. The boss' daughter may look like a hot little slice from Montana Café, but she was one hundred percent pure hands off.

Joss liked the attention and didn't care one bit for her father interfering with it. She was aware of all the attention she was getting and she liked it. I mean she 'liked it' liked it. Her father's protectiveness triggered something that had passed over both Slim and James, missing Kim and her little twin brothers. The Possible family finally had a rebel.

Slim caught her making out with an eighteen year old boy from school at fifteen, found her in a parked car with a college boy (whose hand was on the wrong side of her clothing at the time) at sixteen and at seventeen almost had her twenty year old boyfriend arrested. Frustrated, he enrolled her in a special training program with Global Justice, hoping the hero work would occupy her mind before he ended up becoming the first grandparent in his generation of Possibles.

Oh, that worked really well. She dated most of the "Top" agents, including a go with Wil Du that ended, shall we say, quite badly. She was soon suspended for fraternization, forcing Slim to pull the last card from his deck.

He sent her to live with his brother, James. He hoped that the double barreled blast of Kim's shining example and James' intense protectiveness would calm his little spitfire. What he didn't plan on was her older cousin moving in with Ron at about that time and James just about giving up any hope of controlling Jim and Tim.

Fortunately, a little of the right kind of freedom and a great helping of respect really helped her put her life into better perspective. That and the fact she now got to see her earliest crush on an almost daily basis.

It didn't matter that he was going to marry Kim the following summer!

Then the second thing started happening. She had stepped up to take Kim's place on many of Team Possible's missions and inevitably, considering she was the same height, weight and general build as Kim had been at that age (Kim had grown her heir much longer, otherwise she was still about the same!) somebody called her Kim.

The first time it happened she was thrilled. It was like she had arrived. She had finally achieved hero status. Then, at some point, after it started happening almost every time she arrived on the scene, she started getting sick of it. She started realizing she was just a bit player living in her cousin's shadow. It didn't matter that everything was being handled by her, backed up by Jim and Tim, she was just the B-team of Team Possible.

In a way she started resenting Kim Possible.

It wasn't her cousin as a person she resented, but the image that she was trying to live up to. She started making changes. Small ones at first, such as parting her hair in the middle again like she had as a child, then cutting it shoulder length. She even changed what had been the instantly recognizable Team Possible uniform. Gone was the black crop top for basic missions. Instead she took to wearing a military issue olive t-shirt and US Marines 'desert-digital' camouflage trousers instead of the cargo pants. She finished off her new image with old-style lace up combat boots.

Three out of four times she still got called Kim.

Yori's eyes fluttered open, coming to rest on Joss. "Kim Stoppable-san?" She asked, trying to get up.

Despite the fact that the logical side of Joss' mind knew that this woman could kick her butt clear to Montana and then back again before she could say 'just doin' the Joss thing!" she snarled, pushing her back down to the cold stone floor.

"What have you done with my cousin's husband?" she growled, realizing her anger made her accent thicker, meaning she might be completely unintelligible to the older woman.

Pinned to the floor by the teen, Yori tried to answer. "I am trying to discover what has become of Stoppable-san myself."

Joss' lips curled into a snarling smile. "Nice try, Chica. There's blood on your hand and on one of your weapons and I've already had Wade run an analysis on it." Her voice dropped an octave, filled with menace. "I'll ask you again. What have you done to Ron and why is his blood on your knife?"

Yori looked at the stain on her hand. It had been transferred when she caught the fan spike the false-Ron had thrown back at her after pulling it from his leg. Her eyes snapped open as realization hit her. That had not been 'her' Stoppable-san, she was sure of it. She had seen the haunted, desperate look in his eyes, a look she could never imagine seeing on the man she knew. Yet a scan of the DNA said it was him indeed. There was only one explanation her mind could consider.

"Possible-san." She said, guessing the young woman was certainly related to Kim Stoppable, "That is the blood of one of the intruders I fought here, but I swear, it is _not_ the blood of Stoppable-san!"

"DNA doesn't lie, Ninja-girl!" Joss shot back.

"If you don't believe me, have your friend, Load-san check it again. Tell him to look for…" She searched for the correct terms, "…phasic combination drift."

Joss didn't take her narrowed eyes off her as she reached into her cargo pocket and pulled out a handheld version of the Kimmunicator. She keyed the mike and repeated the request.

"Got that, Wade?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what…waitaminute! She's right! I never would have caught this with just a baseline comparison. There is at least two generations of phasic drift here, as well as some other insignificant mistakes in the sequencing."

Joss raised an eyebrow. "Okay, let's pretend I've got no idea what in tarnation that means." She said, her hand still firmly pinning Yori to the floor.

"It means somebody is trying to play us." The teenaged uber-genius replied. "Phasic combination drift is a series of predictable mis-alignments of the DNA coding that occur when it's artificially sequenced without the aid of advanced equipment like a genomic sequencer."

"Wade, so even girls from Montana can understand?" She quipped.

"Sorry. Long story short…it's like a stamp that says 'I am a clone!'"

Joss turned her glare back to Yori. "Just what in tarnation's goin' on here?" She took her hand of the other woman's shoulder, finally letting her up.

Yori made no attempt to do any more than rise, propping herself on one arm. "I have been tracking two, possibly three thieves who have been stealing a number of items that are somehow associated with Stoppable-san and his wife. They made an attempt to steal something from the Yamanuchi school and in their failure I managed to get on their trail.

"I followed them to Middleton, where I was attacked by this supposed third person. When I recovered I found that Stoppable-san was missing."

"An jes' how did ya figure that?" Joss still wasn't sure if she could trust the woman, though she was starting to realize everything she knew came from Kim's telling of their one meeting many years earlier and perhaps that was coloring her impression of her. Then there was that one detail of the whole "Gorilla Fist" escapade. Kim with Ron Joss could live with, after all, Ron was only a little girl's first crush. But any other woman with Ron, well, that was just cow-patties!

"Rufus-san told me." Yori said, as if that explained the whole thing.

Joss' eyes shot wide. "Rufus! You've seen Rufus! Where is he, we thought he was with Ron!"

Yori tentatively got to her feet. "Rufus-san is safe Whoever took Stoppable-san did something to him. He was unconscious when I found him but has shown no ill effects since he revived. I brought him with me to keep him safe in case the kidnappers were still around. When I tracked the two thieves to this place, I found a safe place to hide him and the treasure I brought from Yamanuchi. It was then I confronted and was bested by the false-Stoppables."

She led Joss back the way she had entered, to a small room on the edge of the complex filled with computer equipment. Sleeping on the leather wrapped grip of a Katana-like sword was the aforementioned naked mole rat.

"RUFUS!" Joss squealed, instantly waking him. Excited, he raced up to her shoulder, giving her cheek a big (as big as a creature his size is capable of) hug.

Joss' attitude to Yori softened considerably, but she still had questions.

"So, what was the deal with leaving a scrap of yer getup at Kim's place?" She had been briefed by Wade as she returned from her 'mission' in Bermuda (which had actually been an official Team Possible mission, though she managed to sneak her boyfriend, a slightly older, red-haired boy from the Southeast named Matt, along for the ride) "Didn't seem very 'ninja' to leave something like that behind."

"Rufus was able to tell me one of the intruders looked like me. She left a scrap of her clothing, perhaps to implicate me. When I discovered this, I replaced the scrap with a real one in the hope it would draw Kim Stoppable-san to me before she could be attacked or taken. It was a long shot, I know, but it must be tried."

"Well, it worked better than you'd hoped. Kim's in Japan right now lookin for you."

Yori frowned, then nodded. "That is good. Sensei has a great many things he wishes to discuss with her. This is sooner than he expected, but under the circumstances, it may be for the best."

Joss simply nodded, not knowing where to begin when it came to eastern mysticism. Then something clicked in her head. "Wait a sec! You said they looked like Stoppables. Both of them? You mean the other one looked like Kim?"

It was Yori's turn to nod.

Joss pulled her Kimmunicator back out. "Wade, it looks like me may be dealing with more than just a clone of Ron. There's one of Kim and there might be one of Yori."

"Hmm. Yori I don't know about. I've been looking at the genome. Something looked familiar about it so I pulled up some old data. It looks like our Ron clone is a clone of a clone." Wade said over the older hand unit.

"Meaning?" Joss prompted.

"It looks like somebody got a hold of some of Drakken's old samples of Kim and Ron. That's why I don't know about a Yori clone. As far as I know, Drakken never even knew she existed."

"So what attacked me outside their home was not another clone?" Yori asked, leaning in to see the dark skinned teen she was speaking to.

"I really have no way of knowing with the evidence I've seen so far. What worried me is that somebody had gotten into some genetic material that was supposed to have been in the hands of Global Justice."

"Unless this is all Drakken and Shego after all." Joss supplied. No matter what her cousin said about her former enemies, she could only trust the duo as far as she could throw them.

"Not likely. I've been keeping pretty close tabs on the two of them. Drakken's spent the last couple years trying to translate some old book. If he's playing us, he's figured out some way to do it in plain sight."

"This doesn't make sense." Joss scowled at her Kimmunicator. "Send in clones of Ron and Kim, then maybe one of Yori here, haven them steal a bunch of random whosits, then kidnap Ron?"

"Perhaps this has more to do with Stoppable-san and his wife than the individual items these _gatherers_ have taken."

"I tend to agree with Yori." Wade broke in. "The only thing that makes sense is if they were trying to gather some kind of mystical energy that had rubbed off on these things. So far, in all the simulations I've run, small groupings of these items could be dangerous, but taken as a whole? Nada!"

"Maybe it's an old-fashioned frame-up?" Joss figured.

"That is…possible, Possible-san, but, no disrespect intended, it is unlikely. The clones are going to great pains to escape detection and identification. The only thing I can guess is these is some less obvious significance to these items, perhaps for their mystical energies to be properly used, it must be the Stoppables who do the gathering, even if it is only their doppelgangers."

"Or it's just a back-up plan to throw a monkey-wrench into the works if they get caught." Joss added. "Then it's back to frame-up."

"That could be true. In fact it would be a less troubling matter that way." The older woman admitted.

Joss sized up the ninja once more. "Okay, Ninja, looks like you and me are going to be the ones who rope up these two. I need you to run 'em down, since you've been able to do it twice now. Just two things I need to get straight with you.

"First off, my name's Joss. You can call me Joss or you can call me Miss Possible or you can call me 'hey you' but don't EVER call me Kim again. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Second, if I find out you're shoveling a bunch a horse hockey there ain't a varmint in the world that's gonna help you. So, you ready ta hog-tie us some clones?"

"It would be my honor." She said with a slight bow.

* * *

Kim rested her head on the tatami mat, not quite able to fall asleep even though she promised Sensei she would do so. Much as she wanted to climb into the Blue Fox and fly home the old man convinced her to wait until the following morning to leave. 

After telling her about his meeting with a woman she was convinced was the Blessed Mother of Arkonia, Sensei asked her to give a full account of her life, specifically beginning from the time when she first realized she loved Ron.

That request was, in fact, quite difficult for her. It seemed like, in hindsight, she had always loved him.

"Perhaps I should be more specific." He said, "Begin your tale with the time you first told him that you loved him."

That still proved to be very difficult. It was something so true, so basic, so fundamental that it seemed to have no beginning and no end. The sky was blue, water was wet and she loved Ron. She could even picture in her mind's eye the first time Ron said those words to her. The image was etched forever on her heart. He was wearing his father's baby blue tux. He needed a shave and they both could have used a bath. The were on a bluff overlooking Middleton, watching the sun rise the morning after their Junior Prom. They both knew they were in deep trouble for breaking curfew (which had been extended since the Diablo attack had happened at midnight) but they didn't care what their punishment would be. In one night they had saved the world together and come together.

Kim had never kissed anyone like that in her life. In retrospect, she had never really wanted to. Not Walter Nelson, not Josh Mankey, not even (grrrrrrrr, hissssss) Erik! Yet she had spent most of the night kissing Ron. It was so natural, so right. They had gotten back to the prom in time for one last slow dance, which they spent the greater part of kissing. They didn't separate until they were quite literally chased out. How they ended up on the bluff they couldn't later recall but as the sun fully rose, Ron leaned back, speaking for the first time since they started kissing.

"I love you, KP." He said breathlessly as a bronze Jaguar pulled up behind them.

Mercifully, their grounding was only for a week and a series of mopping up missions kept them together over that time anyway.

But…when had she first said it? Somehow she couldn't recall. It was something she said all the time, at every chance she got.

Despite her failure to recall the first, Sensei was pleased with the beginning of her tale. He let her continue from that point, sensing the Prom was at least the official beginning of their life together. He would stop her from time to time to expand on a point or two, especially when she reached the parts relating to their battle in the swamps of South Carolina.

Somehow, despite the extremely personal nature of what happened during their odyssey in space she found herself giving a very frank recount of what occurred between them, and not just about the arcane Soul Ceremony. It didn't occur to her until she was just settling down for sleep in the paper walled room that he didn't ask many questions about her real wedding just two months ago.

How very odd she would speak so freely with a man who was almost a stranger about the night she gave her virginity to Ron. (She never thought of it as "losing" it)

How very odd indeed she so easily agreed to a night of rest, not knowing where her husband was or what he was doing. Had Yori actually betrayed the school, taking him on some errand? Had she taken him against his will? Still, it was Sensei, with his calming words that convinced her to stay. "You have faith in him and faith that he is well. You would not still be here if that were not true. You are listening to your heart and if you believe that your souls are one, no physical distance, no matter how great, can truly keep you apart."

Resting on the mat, covered in a light blanket, the moon shining through the thin paper walls, she was once again starting to doubt. Outside, still sitting in the courtyard was her flyer. All it would take would be a short walk and she would be on her way home or on her way to find Ron.

For heaven's sake? Why hadn't she thought to call Wade on the Kimmunicator, just in case he had some new information. Had she gone so long without wearing it that she still forgot about it? For that matter, why had it not gone off in all this time? Considering the circumstances, she would have expected Wade to call in from time to time, just to say he was still working on the problem. Reflexively, her hand went to the call button.

It wasn't even on her arm.

She realized then she had gotten just a bit of sleep. Before laying down she had changed into a sleeping kimono they had loaned her so she would not have to sleep in the super suit (or in the buff for that matter – the suit had 'built in' underwear.) She would have taken it off to remove the power-glove. No big! It was just with her clothes.

_Which were…where?_

_What was going on?_

She was reaching for the shoji door when a small but steel-like hand clamped over her mouth, stifling a scream.

"Come with me if you want Ron-san to live!"

* * *

Outside two figures stood side-by-side, observing the small house Kim Stoppable had be given for the night. 

"I fear we are taking a horrible chance, Nooni-chan."

"The risk must be taken if the blind woman's prophecy is to come to pass." She said, a touch of sadness in her voice as well. "Do you believe what she said is true?"

"In my heart, yes. In my mind, there are still many questions."

"Then let us hope the bond between Ron-chan and Kim-chan is good. If so, then they shall prevail."

"I hope it is so, Nooni-chan, I hope it is so."


	9. Arcus Drakken

**_The Trinity Sitch – Book 4: Heart of the Fury

* * *

_**

**Chapter 9: Arcus Drakken****

* * *

**

"Sheeeeego?"

Drakken poked his head in the door of his home, searching for any sign of his wife or her cadre of 'friends.' (The thought of Shego on a shopping trip with Kim, er, what's her married name again? still made his scar twitch.) Satisfied he was alone, he went into the den and started shoving the sofa. Now, a sofa really isn't that heavy, despite its size. They're really all cushion. Then again, Drew Theodore P. Lipsky, better known as Doctor Drakken, wasn't really a prime specimen of manhood.

After much grunting and the use of many words his mother didn't approve of, the couch finally slid aside, revealing the hidden entrance to his latest lair. Gleefully he rubbed his hands together, noting for the first time that one of them was slightly damp. Before he thought the better of it, he put it to his nose to determine if it was something other than water.

It was. For perhaps the tenth time that week (and it was only Monday) he wanted to punt his wife's cat! The thing was worthless anyway! He never saw it, only smelled the fool thing's spray all over his home! Blasted feline couldn't even do its job right! What kind of cat can't catch two teen heroes when they had been shrunken down to mere inches tall?

Well, considering what the buffoon had done to the cat, well, he could sympathize, but only so much. At least its fur grew back.

After washing his hands (twice) he opened the hatch to his lair and climbed down the short ladder. Since the house was built into the side of the mountain, there was a large natural space created underneath it. Part of it had been walled off into a proper basement, but the rest had been left as unused space, just four walls, a dirt floor and a couple supports.

It was a long way from his old lair with its giant monitors, with the vile fluids flowing here and about, with automated trap doors that would open up beneath their victims, making them whoosh away, but at least no one (especially Shego) knew about it.

Sitting on a stand, by itself, was a dark red, leather bound tome, an ancient text. This was what had consumed Drakken for the last four years, sweeping away thoughts of conquest, the desire to rule. Here was the culmination of all his energy, here was what he now dreamed of becoming!

He had been able to translate bits and pieces of it himself. That had drawn him further and further into it, his knowledge growing with his desire for more.

"P'ash D'raga." He said softly. The light around him wavered as a minor spell dissipated. He hated fooling Shego, but it was not yet time to reveal that he no longer needed makeup to hide his blue complexion from the rest of the world. The smaller magicks had seen to that!

_If only the nice ladies at the Pre-K knew who and what he truly was!_

Putting on a show for no one but himself, he waved his hand. A garment nobody had seen him wear in years leaped from the back of a chair, into his hands. He draped it over his arm, smoothing out the wrinkles for just a moment before swinging it around his shoulders. From the pockets came the thick, black rubber gloves.

In the space of just two minutes Drew Lipsky had once again become the fearsome Doctor Drakken.

A fluffy black cat wearing an emerald collar chose that moment to bolt from under the table, almost pitching him to the floor.

"Blasted useless feline…grumblemuttercurselightningbolt!" he shook his fist in fury at the retreating cat "Furball! You think you're all that, but you're…_not_!"

He his attention back to the tome, grumbling about going to his mother's and picking up Commodore Puddles, then that freaking pussy would know who's boss!

"Now where was I? Oh yes!" He pulled a disk from the pocket of his dark blue lab coat and put it into the waiting tray of a computer. In moments the final translation of the ancient text was displayed on a large plasma monitor.

Science and Magic together! The ultimate definition of Mad Science!

With the old gleam back in his eyes, his teeth set into a wicked grin, he tore into it, hungry for the secrets they would reveal. He read and read, slowly scrolling through the massive file.

Two hours later he was still staring at the screen, not understanding what he saw.

"What is all this? Lists of ancestors? Old legends? Poetry? Where are the big spells? Where is the power that was promised? How am I supposed to make myself the world's greatest sorcerer with this…garbage!" he raged as he searched the translated text over and over.

Then he saw it.

It was just a short little passage. Most would not have understood it at all. It was just a notation that had been scribbled into the tome sometime after it had been transcribed from the original. It spoke of how the human mind perceived language in surprisingly modern terms.

The translation was worthless! The power of the book was not in the words, but in knowing what lay behind them! Reading it in English as translated by a computer lost all of that power!

Drakken grabbed the book and leafed to the hand-written passage, running his fingers over it again and again, speaking the words written there, first in English, then in the approximation he had arrived at for the original language. The look in his eyes grew wilder and wilder as he repeated the words. The translation was forgotten, as syllables not spoken in hundreds of years and never before on Earth spilled from his mouth.

His eyes went wide and the book dropped to the earthen floor of his pathetic hidden lair. An uncontrollable shiver went through him as his mind opened up. His mistakes became evident to him. He had been close, very close, closer than he would imagine, but the language of Azeth had been lost even to those who still dwelled on the distant planet of Arkonia.

With reverence he picked the Book of Arkon up from the floor, gently closing it, examining the leather scales that made its cover, running a hand over the rough surface. He set it back on its stand and pulled the gloves off, letting his bare hands touch it once more.

He swept the book up into an embrace and danced from foot to foot with considerable glee. "It's mine! I had the key all along! The power is mine!"

When he finally settled down, he placed the book once more on the stand, carefully arranging it. With an almost stately grace, he opened it and read the first page aloud.

"Ben corba den tenve noh yetnu, Tredo del Kiresmek ban Effurien de'l tengye ert Podondrin."

It now had meaning to him, and not the mere translation. Gryphion had spoken to him about the Trinity and what they represented. Here was their ultimate task!

_At the Dawn of the Darkness, we will see the return of the Knights of the Ascended to purify the Master._

The Knights of the Ascended! The Trinity of the Effurien!

_But what did that have to do with Shego?_

Thoughts of the real world rushed back to him. He had no idea where she was or how long she would be gone. While all of this was done with the aim of protecting her, as he had promised the strange wizard and because of his love for her, he did not want her becoming a part of this.

He had let her sleep in after their night of intimacy, even to the point of taking Amethyst to her first day of Pre-K yet when he returned her motorcycle was gone. That in itself was not unusual. Sometimes she would ride off alone, spending hours winding down forgotten roads. It was her escape, from what she had been, from what she had become. He allowed her that time, hoping it would help her come to terms with the changes they had gone through.

It also gave him time to work with the Book.

Something tore at the edge of his mind. Despite the danger of discovery, he knew he must return to the book. The answers were there. Yet, what if Shego came home and discovered him down here? What if she learned her slightly dotty ex-mad scientist husband was on his way to becoming a Mad Sorcerer?

No matter. He tore into the book once more, turning pages faster and faster as he read those lists of heroes, the charts of ancestry, the poetry laid down by the first great mage of Arkonia. Slowly he began to understand. With understanding came fear. He knew the path that Gryphion had set him upon now!

He must deliver the Heart of the Effurien to the Hand and the Sword! He must be the one to guide them as the wizard Arcus Oray once tried to.

…_and a Dark, False Master shall rise, born of two worlds but corrupted against both. He shall seek to dominate them both and failing that, will seek their destruction, for that is the way of his evil._

Two worlds in danger!

Drakken pulled off his old lab coat and started up the stairs as his cell phone rang on it's charger. He raced the rest of the way up, grabbing it.

"She…oh, Miss Druthers, I…what? She what? No, I'm on my way right now…don't panic…no, I didn't…I don't know where she is…no, I'm coming right now!"

He grabbed the keys to the SUV, wishing fervently he had his 'funky fresh flying car' with him!

* * *

Sherry could feel her cell phone vibrating in her leg pouch but she wasn't about to stop to answer it. The feeling she had in her heart was so powerful she already knew what the caller would have to say. Her haste was so great she had already blown through two known speed traps and would have been amazed that there was no pursuit if her mind had not been focused like a laser on one thing. 

She risked a glance upward as a shadow shot past her. A small Global Justice hoverjet passed overhead, streaking toward the city. There was little doubt in her mind of its destination. She gunned the engine, increasing her already dangerous speed to foolish levels despite the fact there was no hope that even her high-performance motorcycle could outmatch a hypersonic aircraft. Still, as she pulled up the ramp was only just descending.

She let her bike drop and broke into a dead run for the Pre-K building, sprinting towards the doors as a man in an expensive suit stepped in front of her, barring her way, causing her to skid to a stop.

"Out of my way, pretty boy!" She screamed, somehow still realizing she sounded much like her old self.

Nonplussed, he reached into his jacket and produced his identification. "Mrs. Lipsky, I am agent Gryphen, Global Justice Meta-Powe…"

"I don't give a damn who you are, you reject from an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial! If you don't get out of my way I'm going to fry every bit of that shiny hair right off of your head!"

"You take one more step, Miss Shego and I will bring down the full force of all the outstanding warrants against you. You won't see the outside world until your daughter's grandchildren are old and gray. Or perhaps you haven't taken a good look at yourself lately."

That got her attention. With the sun up she could see her reflection quite clearly in the glass doors of the building. It wasn't just the scene she was making that drew the stares of all the onlookers. They didn't see just an enraged mother trying to get to her stricken child, they saw the infamous criminal Shego in all her green and black glory confronting a Global Justice agent.

"Look, I know this looks bad, but I was just wearing this for old time sake. That doesn't matter, all that matters is that my daughter is in there and I am going to her!" She was almost nose to nose with the agent, who somehow managed to maintain his composure despite her tirade.

Two more agent, wearing standard GJ combat uniforms emerged from the Hoverjet. What they were carrying sent cold chills down Sherry's spine.

"I am not putting on damper gloves!" She said with a low hiss.

"I am sorry, but they are not for you." Gryphen replied.

She stood there, her jaw slack at what that implied. Finally she straightened up "NO! No way in HELL!"

"We may have no other choice. I've read your file, I know about the first days when you got your powers. You spent the better part of a year learning to control them and you were fourteen at the time. Right now we've got a scared little girl manifesting meta-human powers with no idea how to control them. If she can't or won't shut them off, we have to ourselves."

"Let me talk to her." Sherry almost pleaded.

"I have every intention of letting you do so, but you are going to be calm when you do. Rushing in there will do none of us any good, especially if she is capable of even a fraction of your power level."

"That's just it, Agent Really-needs-a-haircut! Amethyst isn't supposed to have any powers! I've had her tested every way from Sunday and there isn't even a trace of meta-power radiation in her body!"

"I find that rather hard to believe, Mrs. Lipsky. It's encoded directly on your DNA, you couldn't help but pass it on."

"Not if you knew what happened when she was conceived." She said, almost under her breath as the agent opened the door, leading her inside.

She didn't know what to expect. Since the day she was born, Kim's tech-friend Wade had done every imaginable test on the little girl, and every one of them had come back negative. Science told her that her child was a perfectly normal human being. She was hoping beyond hope that the curse that was the Go Team Glow would pass the child over. After all, her brother, Herman had children now and they were normal!

None of that mattered when she saw Amethyst sitting on a tiny chair alone in the back of the main play-room, trying to hide her hands. She caught sight of her mother and fresh tears welled from her eyes.

"Mommy, make it stop." She held her tiny hands up, revealing the purple colored flame that coursed around them.

Memories of panic and fear, of distrust, of losing everything she held dear came rushing back to her. Yes, she had been fourteen when the rainbow comet bestowed the powers on her and her brothers, but, like Gryphen said, it was a long time before she could even shut them off. She spent days in hiding, her touch destroying everything, shredding her clothing, burning those who tried to help her. Burning everyone except for a select few!

Heedless of the danger, Sherry reached for her child.

"Mrs. Lipsky, no!" Gryphen hissed.

Panic swept through Amethyst's eyes as her mother picked her up. The flames grew brighter and the tears flowed more swiftly. She knew what her hands were doing would hurt and she did not want to hurt her mother, but fear caused the power to grow even more within her.

The flame engulfed Sherry's hands, running up her arms before disappearing. She picked up her child with no ill effects. Just as with her own power, it could not hurt the ones she loved. Something within either made the weilder unconsciously control it, or made those they loved immune to it. It had been the same with her brothers. She didn't know at the time she was adopted and wasn't actually related to them by blood, she just assumed their DNA was encoded to make them immune to each other's powers.

Then, in a fit of insanity, Sherry had tried to kill Neil Argus, Amethyst's biological father. Her green fire, built to a greater intensity than it ever had before, washed over him like a gentle breeze. Not a hair on his head had been harmed.

As much as she had loved him before that day, Neil was not related to her by blood. Yet he was completely immune to her power.

She gambled the same would be true of Amethyst's power and she was right.

Then she realized something. Her power signature was purple. Wasn't the purple glow supposed to be for shrinking powers? Then there was the fact, besides her faintly glowing hands, Amethyst still looked perfectly normal. Mego's power had turned him purple all over, from his hair, right to his skin, much the same was Sherry's power had once made her light green.

Gryphen was standing nearby. He had not yet allowed the other two agents inside, hoping as well he would not be forced to use the damping gloves that had originally been designed to control Shego's power. He leaned in close, trying to get the child to look into his blue eyes.

"There, there, little sister. Your mommy is here now."

Sherry turned her glare at the agent, who remained engrossed in the little girl. _What did he just say? Little sister? What a strange thing to say to a little girl!_

Amethyst tried to hide her face from the agent, burying her nose in her mother's shoulder, though she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the strange man. Sherry rubbed her back as the plasma flames around her hands faded and finally died out.

"I want to go home to daddy." Amethyst pouted, her bottom lip protruding as Aunt Kimmie had taught her.

"I don't think that's possible." Gryphen said, reaching for the child.

"Don't even think it." Sherry rasped, holding her child tightly.

"Mrs. Lip…"

"I said no!" there was menace in her voice that brooked no discussion. "She has been through enough and if Load says he can't find any traces of my powers in her, then there's not a damned think your pathetic lab rats can do that can say any better…" she growled before a commotion outside drew both their attention.

The two agents, who had been waiting patiently just outside the glass door, were suddenly swept aside by some unseen force. Moments later, that same force swept the doors open, almost ripping them off their hinges.

Stepping through the open portal, in all his blue, lab coated glory, was Doctor Drakken.

Gryphen's eyes went wide as the Mad Scientist caught sight of him. Drakken just grinned.

"Well well well. I wonder what Global Justice would say if they knew that Arkonian sorcerers were going around masquerading as agents.

Sherry shot a look at the man, fresh fury on her already enraged features.

"You mean this guy isn't a GJ agent?"

"No, Shego, my dear. He is the man who sprang me from prison. He is also the man who set me own my current path but now I've come to learn much more of what he's about. He is playing you. He's been playing both of us, but now I…"

Drakken was cut off as Gryphion cast off the spell of colors. The suit was gone, replaced with the tunic and cape he normally wore. "Well played, _Arcus_ Drakken." He said, using his word for sorcerer almost as a epithet. "I would not have expected you to delve this deeply into the secrets of the book this quickly, but it appears my faith in you is well founded indeed!

"Too bad you are going to be too late. The time has come for me to act." He brought up a hand, sending a wave of force into the blue necromancer.

Caught off-guard, Drakken was slammed into the corner of one of the doors, knocking him out cold.

Amethyst screamed, twisting free of her mother's grasp. "Don't you touch my Daddy!" she bellowed in childish rage, her hands flaring to life once more.

"He's not your…" he started to say, but was cut off as a fist crashed full force into his jaw, sending spittle and blood flying.

"Who the hell are you, you freak?" Sherry spit at him.

"I don't have…time…for this." He said, wiping his jaw. He reached into his tunic and withdrew a small stone statue. In moments a swirling red doorway appeared. "Heed my words, Sherry Lipsky, Shego or whoever you truly are, the Heart must be with the Hand and the Sword, or both your world and mine are doomed!

He stepped into the maelstrom and both disappeared.

She waited a heartbeat, then scooped up her daughter once more. "Mommy, I want to go home!" She cried, fresh tears staining her mother's shoulder.

"Shhhhh. We will, honey. Let me check on Daddy first."

Putting Amethyst down, Sherry knelt beside her unconscious husband. He was groaning, just coming to. He blinked twice, his hand going to the back of his head.

"Drew, just what in the hell is going on."

He looked up at her, a look of confusion on his face. Then he brightened.

"There's no time for explanations. We must find Kimberly Anne and her husband, er, who's name escapes me. We have no time to waste! The fate of two worlds is at stake!"

Somehow she was able to bite back a sarcastic remark that almost rolled off her tongue.

* * *

A/N - Hope everyone caught the salute to Captainkodak in this one! 


	10. The Hand of the Fury

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_ **

* * *

Chapter 10 - The Hand of the Fury

* * *

Two days had come and gone by in the cell.

Ron was starting to worry that he was cut off from home and his KP forever.

Food was brought by more large men wearing strange, garishly painted armor, though not a word was spoken to or by Sagan while they were there. The hulking general himself was somewhat taciturn but the hours spent with nothing to do but stare at each other in the dim light they finally were able to strike up a conversation.

What the alien had to say, however, did not thrill him in the least.

The Torellians had been in space for just over fifty years when they first encountered the Arkonians, now two years hence. They had been aware of the existence of the planet but they had no idea it was inhabited until they suddenly started sending out their own starships, spacecraft more advanced than anything known to the few races who had left their own home worlds behind.

The sudden appearance of the powerful, speedy ships changed the balance of power. As the man-like race moved out into new colonies, there was a political schism, led by a group of young dissidents who no longer wanted to live under Imperial rule, opting instead to form their own autonomous colonial governments. At first, the cash strapped Imperial court saw fit to let them do so, basically sending them out on their own, cutting them off from control and from aid.

Surprisingly, the new colonies thrived. Unfortunately, that eventually created the impression of a threat. New fleets of combat ships were built to regain power and reunite all Torellians under one flag. Civil erupted between the two factions, eventually resulting in an uneasy stalemate.

The Arkonians quickly threw in with the Empire of Tor El Ka. With an infusion of new weapons and new ships they started forcing the loose confederation of colonies further and further back, threatening to eradicate the nascent Republic.

What few besides Sagan and a few other members of the military knew was that the Arkonians were betraying the Imperials, sending aid to the colonies in secret. They were playing both sides. To what aim, they did not yet know.

Ron could guess, based on what he knew about the "Master" of the Arkonians.

How that led to his imprisonment on the contested surface of the planet Troxxite, he had no clue.

The planet itself was generally considered to be worthless. Worthless, except for the fact both sides wanted it! It wasn't on any shipping lanes, it had no easily extracted natural resources. It wasn't even comfortable by Torellian standards, with much of the surface covered by dense jungle. They preferred cool, dry climates like the cloud enshrouded homeworld they called Tor El Ka.

The planet had one more surprise. There was a colony of humans living there on a large island located on a lake in the southern hemisphere. How they got there was any guess, considering they had been there at least two hundred Terran years and they spoke and older dialect of Arkonian. The called their tiny island/state Vershaltia.

At first the local governor had seen fit to simply ignore the colony. They kept to themselves and didn't consume resources important to the garrison (which was stationed on the far side of the planet anyway) That arrangement went on for some time. That is, until the tide of the civil war started turning in favor of the Torellian colonies. That was when the edicts were issued.

No humans would be allowed on planets controlled by the Torellian Empire. They were given ten days to leave. After that, they would simply be exterminated.

The Vershaltians possessed no means of leaving the planet. However they had gotten there, they only had iron age technology. The Torellians never intended for them to leave.

That was what had led to Sagan's imprisonment. He protested, issuing a challenge to his superiors they would be honor bound to meet. Instead they had him stripped of his command and thrown him in the local gladiatorial pits. That had been three days ago.

In less than a week Vershaltia would be bombed out of existence.

That last part is what scared Ron the most. This was how they dealt with condemned prisoners here. They would be forced to fight to the death, much like his human ancestors had on Earth. However that paled in his mind considering there were more than two hundred lives at stake. Thoughts of his survival in the ring, thoughts of returning to Kim were pushed aside. His mission now was to escape and save those people.

Sagan shook his head in amazement at that. Here was a human, and not even an Arkonian who was literally less than half his size, not trained in the arts of war, who had literally never met a Vershaltian in his life, who had now pledged to save them, despite the fact he was likely not going to live to see the next day.

"I like your spirit, Ron Stoppable." He said, tripping over Ron's name in his guttural dialect of Arkonian. "If all your people are like you, they must be a formidable race."

"They have their moments." He said, thinking that any race of beings that could produce KP had to be the greatest in the universe.

"So, my little Golden Warrior, what would you do to save these people?"

* * *

Kim never took too kindly to being grabbed from behind, even when she recognized the voice. She planted a foot, grabbing the arm that muffled her by the wrist and twisted downwards. Knowing who her assailant was, she was surprised when she went sailing through the door she had been about to slide open.

Yori landed in a heap of broken framework and torn Shoji paper. In a heartbeat Kim was on top of her, a fist poised to strike.

"Where's Ron?"

"He is someplace safe." She said, never taking her eyes off Kim's fist.

Kim's eyes narrowed at the Japanese woman. Something was a little off but she could not put her finger on it. Still, her hand did not waver from it's ready to strike position.

"Not good enough! You just said I had to come with you if he was going to live. That doesn't sound safe to me so SPILL!" She almost roared at her.

"Ron-san is safe for the moment but he cannot remain so forever."

"Quit trying to be oblique with me Yori! Location, condition, NOW!"

"I…cannot tell you yet."

"Wrong answer!" Kim hauled her up by the front of her gi. The woman flinched just a bit, sure that Kim would throw the punch. Instead she lowered the arm.

"Where are my clothes?" She wasn't about to go traipsing around the mountains of Japan in nothing but a light sleeping kimono. In fact, she wasn't going to be traipsing anywhere. She was going to get some answers and whether they came from Yori or from Sensei, at that very moment she didn't care. It was clear to her now that the old man had done something to her, had employed some mystical monkey business to put her at ease, to make her agree to spending the night.

To delay her.

That meant, whatever was going on, Sensei and his school had something to do with it. He lied to her about Yori. What else had he lied about?

"Your clothing is in the room beside yours. The servants cleaned it as best they could. None of the sensitive systems of your suit have come to harm." Yori answered with her eyes downcast.

Kim backed away from her, glancing in the open door of the small cubicle. Her super-suit was propped on a clothes stand while her pants were neatly folded on the floor, along with the form-fitting boots. The other woman politely looked away as she quickly changed into her mission gear.

Snapping her Kimmunicator bracelet in place she hit the call button, ready to rip Wade a new one for not checking in with her already. She readied her diatribe as the holographic projector winked to life.

"No signal." Scrolled by in the air.

That didn't make any sense! All of Japan was smack dab in the heart of one of the strongest satellite signals on Earth. There wasn't anywhere on the island nation her Kimmunicator shouldn't work. Frustrated, she stepped out of the small guest house, just in case it was somehow causing interference.

She took one stop off the wooden decking of the house, her foot sinking up to her ankle in sticky wet mud. Looking up, the air in her lungs escaped in a startled yelp.

The Blue Fox was not sitting outside in the courtyard. Actually, the courtyard was not there either, nor where any of the other Yamanuchi buildings. There was nothing there except a small clearing in a very thick rainforest.

She turned back just in time to see the guest house fading from view, leaving only Yori standing there in the moonlight. Kim was about to make a comment about where all this registered on the weirdness scale when she happened to glance up at the moons shining in the clear night sky.

Moons.

Plural moons. Two of them. One was large and white, much like she was accustomed to seeing, except it didn't bear the darker markings she was familiar with. The other, smaller one had a softer look to it, reflecting the light of a sun with a soft blue glow.

There were two moons above her and Yamanuchi and perhaps all of Japan and very likely all of her world were gone!

_What was gong on?_

"We must hurry!" Yori pleaded.

Kim's eyes narrowed on the other woman. There was only so much she could take and she had passed that point long before she realized she was no longer on the familiar world of her birth. She was on her in a flash, pinning her down in the cold mud.

"I've just flown half way around the world to have an old man I barely know act like some kind of marriage counselor then have him put some kind of whammy on me then wake up with you telling me my husband is in some kind of danger and then he's safe but he wont' stay that way unless we hurry and then everything disappears and we're in a jungle with two moons so, Yori, when I ask you what's going on…

…I FEROCIOUSLY WANT AN ANSWER!" She screamed, her hands gripping silk lapels.

Yori responded by putting a knee in her gut.

Kim rolled off of her, trying to catch her breath. Moments later Yori was on top, trying to pin her down. Bunching her legs up, Kim was able to force her away.

There was no one around to remark on how odd it was that two women, one skilled in sixteen kinds of Kung-Fu, the other a ninja master, were rolling around in the mud in the middle of an alien rain forest.

Kim got a handful of gi again and slugged her opponent in the chin, knock the back of her head into the wet muck with an audible 'fwap.'

_We so don't have time for this!_ Kim thought.

Perhaps it was an abstract thought slipping through because of the utter silliness of two women mud wrestling alone in the moonlight, but something suddenly struck her as odd.

Yori called Ron 'Ron-san.'

Yet Ron often told Kim that the entire time he had known Yori she had only ever called him 'Stoppable-san,' despite his entreaties that he call her by his first name. Also Kim knew she had landed some pretty good shots on her already. They were clearly both pulling their punches, but Yori had been trained since early childhood in the art of Ninjitsu, as well as several other more esoteric martial arts. That should have trumped her hybrid Kung-Fu/cheerleading fighting style any day of the week. There was a big difference between holding back and taking a hit.

Taking a shot of her own in the chin, she realized she still had to keep her head in the game.

Somehow, this needed to come to an end!

* * *

The drums started as night fell.

Ron didn't have to ask that something was about to happen. Somehow he had an inkling what that would be.

In confirmation, Sagan simply nodded in response to the question in his eyes.

The steady thump of what must have been large drums went on and on for what seemed like hours. His cellmate stood and started stretching, his shoulder and back muscles bulging as he worked days of inactivity from them. For some reason the muscles in his arms and legs didn't seem to flow as they rest of his body did. The alien noticed his stares.

"With my people, it is considered honorable to make yourself into the best warrior you can possibly be. To be a soldier is the highest calling as our warrior caste controls all aspects of our life. Long ago we found ways for a soldier who had been maimed in battle to return to service with honor and dignity. We have become masters of cybernetic limb replacement, to the point where many young warriors will volunteer to have their natural extremities replaced with stronger, faster implants. I was one such warrior, many, many years ago."

Sagan held out his hands. In the days he had spent with the alien, Ron had no idea he had bionic arms and legs. Unless you watched the movement of the simulated muscles, you would never know the difference.

The knowledge made him somewhat uneasy.

The pace of the drums started increasing. Whatever was happening seemed to be approaching.

"So how many of them are like you here?"

"I have no way of knowing. For the most part, the condemned are criminals of one kind or another. It would be unlikely they would be enhanced. There is also the possibility they will be less skilled in the arts of combat. I do have hope I may prevail for some time."

"This isn't just about prevailing." Ron said. "I have to do something about those people."

"You can't be serious, little Golden Warrior. The best you can hope for is to survive this night, or to have your ending be quick. I know your race does not value combat like ours does."

"Look, Sagan, I like you, but look at me. This is my 'Serious' face. I may act like a goofball from time to time, but if there is one thing my wife has taught me over the years, it's that there's something bigger than just me. Survival isn't enough for me. If I go down knowing what I know about these people, I'll be the biggest failure there can be. I've got to do something about it and the best chance I see of doing it will be to get away while all this _competition_ is going on."

Sagan nodded. "I hope for your sake and for theirs you are right but do not forget, I have laid down my freedom and most likely my life for these people. I too would like an opportunity to do more than simply die in the name of their cause."

"Badical!" Ron said, in English.

"Excuse me?"

"It means really, really good." He switched back to Arkonian, still wondering exactly how it was he could speak the language now.

Somebody outside was working the bolt on the door. Moments later it swung wide, admitting a group of Torellians wearing thick robes. There were six of the all together, four of them divided among two stretchers. At first Ron thought they were bringing in two unconscious warriors but upon closer inspection he realized they were bringing in suits of armor. It was immediately clear who each set was for.

With practiced ease Sagan pulled his own suit on, snapping the chest plates in place first, pulling on the segmented leggings like a pair of pants. In moments he was linking a short cape over one shoulder, holding a large silver helmet in his hands.

The armor was, to say the least, garish. The main body was painted dark green but the chest plate had been enameled in multi-colored flames. In the center of the chest was a large plate of brightly polished golden metal. The arms and legs were a dark, almost black colored metal, obviously made of small plates that could moved as naturally as the flesh beneath them, or in his case, the mechanical arms and legs. The armor was completed with matching gauntlets and boots, both seemingly too large, making him look even larger than he was.

Sagan Del Maath was a formidable, towering warrior.

The attendants must have been told that Ron would have no idea how to put on his own suit. They helped him, repeating the process, showing him how the various parts fit together. He was not given a cape like Sagan's, but was still handed a rather ornate helmet. It included a mask that would completely hide his face.

His towering friend placed his helmet on his head. Ron was shocked at the similarity to another masked helmet he had once seen.

Sagan's helmet was definitely not the same as the Podondrin of Arkonia's, but the vanes at each side were the same general shape. Out of the corner of his eye he could mistake the two, though this one had a slit for the eyes and did not have the wicked stylized grin.

"For a warrior of my people, it is not proper to show your face except among friends. So that we may be identified, we have masks and helmets that mark us by family and clan. All of the Del Maath wear helmets with this design." He indicated the vanes on each side extending upwards from where his ears would be. "It would be very dishonorable to even consider masquerading as someone who you are not. I tell you this, because of what they have brought for you this night."

"I don't understand."

Sagan waited until the attendants left. He surveyed the young human, now dressed in gold and black armor, though in a form much scaled down from his own.

"The helmet they brought you is for a minor family called Den Mek. I was wondering how they were going to deal with you. This is supposed to be for Torellians alone. It is completely unknown to include a human in these competitions. It appears, in fact, they mean for you to masquerade as a Torellian. I can see two reasons for them to do so. First, as I said, such a thing would be considered highly dishonorable. I do not know if they realize you would be unaware of this, but it is actually a great insult directed at you."

"And the other?"

"They wish to dispose of you in great pain while everyone who witnesses will think you are no more than an unusually small warrior."

"Oh, great, so I'm not only being sent to my certain death, I'm being dissed? Man, that tanks!"

"Um, it would seem so." Sagan replied, not sure what the young human's strange terms meant.

An armored Torellian entered the cell, barking unintelligible orders in their guttural language. Ron shot a questioning glance at his new friend.

"He said it is time to go and you must now put on your helmet."

"No." Ron said, standing his ground.

"Ron Stoppable, I do not think this is the time to challenge a Gamesmaster." Sagan warned.

"You can tell him that if they want me to fight, I'm doing it as a human being, not hiding behind a mask just so they can insult me behind my back. I've had my fill of insults in my life and I'm not going in there just to have some bucket headed aliens do it to me again!" Ron was surprised at his outburst himself, not quite sure where it was coming from.

Whether the hulking Gamesmaster understood the Arkonian he was speaking or whether he simply divined the meaning from his tone, he simply backhanded Ron across the room, speaking calmly but clearly at him.

"He said you must put it on or he will simply rip your yellow head off himself right here." Sagan repeated for his benefit.

"Tell me how to say no in Torellian." Ron said, getting to his feet, wiping a drop of blood from his lip.

"N'hok." Sagan supplied, his eyes pleading with the young man.

"Neehawk." Ron repeated, his mouth having trouble with the alien syllables.

The Gamesmaster ripped the helmet from Ron's hands and roughly jammed it directly onto his head, snarling something at him before turning to Sagan to translate.

"He said that if you attempt to take it off, you will be shot down like a lizard-cur. Ron Stoppable, I ask you as a personal favor. Do this. There will be a time and a place for reckoning. Know now that I am your friend and I will not hold your honor in question for doing this."

Ron regarded the alien through the eye slits of his headgear, then nodded. The Gamesmaster laughed, a horrible, grunting sound that ripped into Ron's soul as they were led from the cell.

The drums continued their pounding, the sound echoing through the building.

They were led into an arena of sorts. The field itself was not extraordinarily large, perhaps only a hundred feet across, maybe half again as long. There was a small set of review stands set up for the spectators. Ron was immediately reminded of a scene in the movie _Demetrius and the Gladiators. _

His mind also went back to something else he had nearly forgotten about. Early in their Junior year they had gone on a field trip to the Tri-City Museum of History to view an exhibit about the World's Fair in Middleton in 1904. In the process, they had stumbled onto another exhibit being set up.

Ronnicus the Gladiator!

It was a great fantasy pretending the great warrior was a distant ancestor of his!

Only now he was wishing the masked female warrior was here to fight the battle with him!

He could see the drums now. More of the cloaked Torellians were beating them, sweat soaking their garments.

It was beginning!

Two other warriors we shoved into the center of the ring. There was no fanfare, calling of names or salute to the stands. They were simply handed large swords and they faced off.

Ron had a difficult time watching it, though he was amazed at the mastery the two Torellians showed with the two-handed weapons. The blades swung like the rotors of helicopters, swinging this way and that in the air, sometimes clashing together, sometimes finding their marks on their armored bodies. In the space of two minutes it was over.

He knew that inside his helmet he was turning green from the spectacle. He almost didn't notice that Sagan was pushed into the ring next.

This time the combat did not last even that long. The old general dispatched his opponent before he could even raise his sword. Ron fought back his nausea, taking a bit of solace in the fact the man had been spared a great deal of pain.

He was so numb he didn't realize he was being pushed out there next, a sword placed in his hands.

He snapped out of his reverie to discover he as alone in the ring. No other warriors were being pushed out there with him. He stood there in the center of the ring, his hands feeling like ice as he tried to raise the point of the heavy blade. Guttural laughter floated down from the review stands.

Ron was not alone for long.

A door opened at the far end of the ring. Something lumbered out, facing him.

The laughter stopped instantly.

Facing him was something he could only bring himself to describe as a demented version of Drakken's battle-bot. It was smaller than the former mad scientist's creations, moving on narrow, segmented legs. It walked upright like a man, but that's where the resemblance ended.

Its two mechanical arms ended in wicked looking curved blades that sizzled with pulsing energy.

His heart racing, he raised a sword that was almost as tall as he was over his head.

_Kim! _

* * *

Kim was exhausted.

Yori was circling around her, looking more like a mud creature now than the beautiful young woman she used to be. Distantly, Kim realized she looked much the same.

She was also realizing that the woman facing her was not the ninja she had met five years earlier.

"I do not understand this." Yori said.

"Understand it plenty." Kim replied, wiping some of the muck from her face. There was something about Yori's voice, though her tiring mind couldn't quite place it.

"She said you would trust me."

"Who said that?" Kim spat back.

Then it started to dawn on her. Yori's accent was wrong. It was still there, but it was not the accent of a woman who spent most of her life speaking only Japanese, only to learn English later.

Sensing her subterfuge was playing out, Yori seemed to shrink in upon herself. Shoulder length hair matted with wet muck seemed to change, growing longer in the bright moonlight. Her face narrowed a bit, the oval eyes flattening out. Despite being covered with mud, Kim recognized the young woman now standing before her, panting in the wet clearing.

She did not know her name, but she had seen her once before, just more than a year and a half ago. She had been one of the Blessed Mother's acolytes. She was one of the girls who had taken Kim and Ron from their quarters to prepare for their Soul Joining ceremony.

Kim's body untensed as she tried to reel in her lower jaw.

The girl dropped her head. Her cheek was swelling from the repeated blows Kim had landed on her. That explained much. While she might have looked and sounded like Yori, she had none of the training the young ninja possessed.

"I think you need to start talking, right now." Kim warned in a low voice.

"You had to be tested. Both you and your Soul-Bond. One of my sisters was sent to take him to one of the Tragda Sur masters so he could be trained in the arts. Then we found out we had been betrayed. He was taken, not to the sword master, but to the corrupt governor of this world. He is even now being sent into the blood-sports they engage in."

"What! You mean to tell me all of this is some kind of trick? If he's in that kind of danger why the hell are you playing these games?"

"Because, as much as it pains the Blessed Mother, as much shame as it brings to me to fool you, you must still be tested."

"Tested? Tested for what? Ron is the one who's the Chosen one! He's the Sword of the Fury or Effurien or whatever you people called it!"

"Yes. But he has already been tested. It is you who must now embrace the mantle you have been given."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you not know? The Blessed Mother told you! You are part of the Trinity!"

"I am? All I remember is her talking about Ron being the sword!"

"She said to remind you. Half of the job is done. All that remains is to find the final member of the Trinity!"

"But she meant Neil Argus. He was supposed to be the first! Ron was the second!"

"Argus is lost. She was not speaking of him. It was you she was speaking of. You are the Hand of the Effurien! Do she not tell you that the Sword and the Hand must be joined by their souls?"

Kim's eyes shot open, remembering that moment in the caves of the Spiron before the Blessed Mother sent them home. "All that remains is the third!" She had said.

Suddenly she felt excruciating pain shoot through her, though there was no mark on her.

Ron!

_Kim! _His voice screamed in her head.

Ron was hurting. He was in pain! He was calling out to her in desperation! She could feel it, his terror, his pain.

Light burst around her body. The mud and grime were burned away as the transformation took place. From the light tendrils of liquid metal flowed, covering her whole body, engulfing her. She could feel it covering her face, flowing under her clothing. It even covered her eyes though she found she could still see.

All the while she could feel Ron's pain as if they were one.

They were one!

She shot into the air, her body hurling into the night sky, streaking with great speed to where her Soulmate lay dying!


	11. Arena

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11: Arena**

* * *

Ron stood there transfixed. He had gone from the safety of his own home, the life of adventuring put on hold, perhaps for good, a beautiful loving wife who was talking with him about when (not if) they would start their own family, a promising career he knew he would excel at, family and friends who not only loved but supported him to this:

He was very likely going to die, and with the knowledge that if he did, hundreds more would soon follow.

There wasn't time to consider why they were sending some kind of battle-bot to fight him. There was only the fight. There was only the soul-less single slit eye of the thing as it circled, taunting him, waving the twin scythes in the air leaving trails of yellow-orange plasma. His hands tightened on the grip of the alien sword. It was so large, so heavy, so foreign to him. He had been briefly taught to use swords, but only smaller, lighter, more elegant blades than the huge double edged weapon they had given him. What he knew of them would not avail him this day.

The operators of the battle-bot must have known this. They wanted to put on a show for the masses, most likely wanting to cause him the most fear and pain. The fear was there, alright. Every so often the thing would twitch, making moves so fast he could not follow it. It would start a charge, then back off as he waved the five foot long blade ineffectively in the air. The sword was made for a Torellian warrior, hulking six and a half to seven foot tall humanoid creatures who had been raised since birth to fight.

He was just a slight young man who had dabbled with this sort of thing simply because certain people kept telling him it was his destiny! Why him? This isn't what he wanted from life! He only wanted to be a hero because that is what the love of his life was!

_A man does not set out to become a hero. He either is or is not_.

The thing finally attacked.

In a motion he was sure no different than the other fake charges it had made before it stepped toward him the twin scythes descending from different angles. All he could do was swing his own weapon in a sweeping arc, hoping to deflect the blades as he stepped away, backing down from his attacker.

_Why couldn't this be like when he held those other swords? Why couldn't it be the Lotus Blade or the Sword of the Effurien in his hands?_

The tip of his blade made contact with the battle-bot's weapons, sending a shower of sparks into the air as his naked steel met the plasma fields surrounding the curved blades.

The moment his blade touched the second scythe, the first was already striking in a counter-move, hitting his blade and driving the tip into the ground. It took all of his strength to maintain his grip on his sword. Knowing he did not have the strength to force it upwards, he pulled it straight away, sending another fountain of charged plasma into the air.

If the bot had possessed a face, he was sure it would be leering at him by now. It was only toying with him, knowing he did not have the skill or the strength to do any more than make clumsy attempts to defend himself.

What did he know? What bits of skill, what lessons had his one-time mentors taught him that he could use here? The blades were coming again, descending from above, about to split him in twain. _Move! _His mind screamed!

He twisted his body away from the blow, feeling the crackling energy surrounding his opponent's weapons shoot by his body. He could feel the intense heat even through the armor. His sword spun out, its weight turning his twist into a full three hundred sixty degree spin.

The tip of his sword raked the chest armor of the bot, sending a shower of orange sparks as it creased the outer layer. He backed away as the thing surveyed the damage he had done. A mighty shout went up from the review stands.

He felt a slight rush. By accident he had drawn 'first blood.'

It told him something else.

A sword this size was not meant to be manhandled. It was not the strength of the swordsman but the blade itself that could do damage. He only had to guide it, to strike with it, not just use it as a club. How had the other warriors used it? They did not hold it like a baseball bat, pulled back over their shoulders to put their entire strength into it.

Slowly he started twirling the blade over his head, the tip sweeping faster and faster. The crowd got quite once more as the bot started circling him again, trying to assess his new tactic. There were no more feints, this time it charged once more, again sweeping its weapons at different angles.

Ron used the momentum of his sword to twist him away from the attack once more, not trying to block but merely to dodge. His arms were starting to burn, but he kept his sword in motion. Another attack came and this time he was in position. One of the arms of the creature was higher than the other and he changed the arc of his weapon, bringing the tip across the exposed arm. His body was spun away as another blast of energy erupted from his strike. By the time he had twisted around once more he could see the bot backing down, looking at what he had wrought.

The energy around the blade was stuttering as broiling plasma poured from a ruined conduit. Moments later it winked out completely. The crowd was on their feet, shouting unintelligible things at the ring.

Spinning the sword over his head, his teeth set, Ron advanced on the bot. His blade spun so fast he was sure it would lift him from the ground as if he were some kind of gyro car! He could feel his heart quickening, his breath coming in measured bursts. His sword descended on the mechanical horror in a blur of polished, hardened steel. It raised the dead weapon to defend itself.

Ron swung the weapon lower.

The blade hit the dusty floor of the ring, along with most of the mechanical arm it was attached to.

In a fluid motion, Ron followed through with his attack, setting his feet but letting the sword sweep over his head once more. The thing had no time to even bring the other scythe up as the sword clove its head from the rest of its body.

Ron followed the sword around, planting his foot once more, bringing the blade to a stop, relief flooding his body as the remains of the bot fell to the ground, some kind of fluid pouring from the stump where its helmeted head had once been.

He couldn't catch his breath. In one moment he had been sure his life was about to end.

In the next he was standing there victorious, the crowd standing and…

…cheering him.

Slowly he got to his feet, turning to look at the battle-bot he had just bested.

Red fluid was pouring onto the ground. He glanced back at Sagan, at the nearly undetectable bionics the older warrior had. Then he looked back at the prone figure.

That wasn't hydraulic fluid. That hadn't been a battle-bot!

It was a Torellian with special combat prosthetics!

Ron had just killed him!

Under the mask he turned white as a ghost. He killed a man with his own hands! He looked at the blood spilling from the stump and suddenly sunk to his knees, feeling his gorge rising. The sword dropped to the ground as he struggled to get the helmet off of his head, managing to do so as the contents of his stomach spilled onto the dusty floor of the arena.

The cheering stopped as he retched, trying to block the image from his mind. Pain, like a vise gripped him, making him feel as if his head would split in two. There was a commotion, but he barely heard it as he stared at the puddle of his own sick, trying to comprehend what had just happened to him.

Dimly he started to realize he had ripped the helmet off.

Every alien here knew now he was not one of them. He was human.

Rough hands grabbed him from behind, hauling him to his feet. Something was shoved back into his hands as he came face to face with a polished silver helmet.

"Now is the time, Golden Warrior! Fight!"

Sagan let go of him. The sword he had been given was slightly smaller than the one he had just used which the large Torellian now spun over his head in a swirling arc of death.

Ron stood there, holding the new weapon, not feeling anything but the blinding pain in his head and his chest, fighting back the urge to fall down and retch again. The silence that had befallen the crowd had become a bellow of rage as the crowd surged from the stands, their own sword snapping free of the clasps on their backs.

His vision started turning red as his sword came up, rage burning inside him.

_They would pay for what they had done to him!_

_NO! _A new voice screamed in his head.

The red haze vanished, swept away by the voice he had heard.

_KIM!_

It may have been her voice he heard, but what he saw was a group of _something_ charging Sagan and him. This time they were clearly robots, fifteen feet tall, their double limbs ending in cybernetic weaponry. The time for sword play was past. Battles of honor were no longer an option, an interloper was in their midst, pretending to be a Torellian.

It was an affront they could not ignore!

"Move!" Sagan ordered as he shoved Ron aside just as a laser gatling canon mounted on one of the gigantic mechanoids opened up, ripping the dirt floor in great gouts of dust. He tucked and rolled as the beastly thing tracked them, More of the robots were moving into position, bringing their weapons to bear. In the back of his mind he noted they looked like skeletonized versions of Diablo Bots.

This he could deal with!

His sword swinging above his head once more, he charged the nearest one, leaping into the air just as it fired on his position. The explosions below his feet added to his momentum as he sailed up, bringing the sword crashing down into the exposed systems peeking from around the armored frontal plating. Repeating the move he had used on the arena floor, he separated the head of the thing, sending the whole thing crashing to the ground as he leaped free, hurtling himself at the next one.

Sagan could not believe what he was seeing. First the timid seeming human had demonstrated a mastery with a ceremonial sword that would take a lifetime of training to accomplish, now he was meeting combat Torelloids head on with it! That was something only a division of trained warriors armed with state-of-the-art armor piercing weaponry would attempt! He dropped into a crouch, charging the next robot himself, bellowing a the war cry of his clan.

He saw a second battle-droid fall as the gold and black armored human sailed through the air, spinning his great sword over his head like the bladed children's toy that was used to train young warriors (Sagan had no idea, but those toys looked amazingly like Spinning Tops of Doom!)

Ron landed once more in the center of the ring. Bravado and mysterious skill aside, he was badly outnumbered. The battle-bots surrounded him, their weapons leveling. His logical mind told him that he could never dodge them all.

He was still going to try. Muscles in his legs tensed as the sword began to spin once more.

A single laser shot from the gathered warriors lanced into his side, burning part way through his armor. The plating saved his life but the pain brought him out of his adrenalin fueled combat high. He dropped to the ground, the sword sitting beside him discarded. More troops poured into the arena floor, surrounding both him and the old general.

Ron looked up as a pair of black armored boots stopped right in front of him. A gauntleted hand gripped his neck and hauled him up. Pale eyes regarded him from darkened slits in the black and chrome helmet the Torellian wore.

"You could have been a hero for the day, you pathetic human! Now all you will be is food for the lizard-curs! Nobody makes a fool of Darkoth Den Taag in his own arena!" The hulking warrior spat in barely discernable Arkonian. He roughly threw him to the ground.

Ron tried staggering to his feet as an armored fist crashed into his face, knocking him back to the ground. He scuttled backwards, trying to get away, only to run into the tree-trunk sized leg of the alien battle-bot. He pushed himself erect to face his tormenter. Another fist sailed at his face as he ducked, the metal glove brushing his sweat matted hair as it passed over him.

Angered, Den Taag kicked him in the gut, sending pain lancing through him once more. He fell to the ground, gripping his injured midsection. The laser burn was starting to hurt more and more.

"I will give you this! I thought you would not last a minute against the Harvester. You fought well." Den Taag kicked him in the jaw, sending him head over heals back into he dust.

_I can taste my spleen_, Ron thought abstractly

Den Taag reached over his shoulder, freeing his sword from the magnetic grappler on the back of his armor. At the touch of a hidden trigger in the grip yellow plasma bathed the blade. He held it menacingly at Ron's face, the energy field crackling before his eyes.

"That fool old Death Crone from Arkonia was wrong. You are no great hero come to save her people. You're nothing but a boy somebody showed how to use a blade. You're nothing, like your whole pitiful race!"

Ron couldn't believe it! The Torellian military governor of Troxxite was actually gloating!

Taking a chance, he shot out his legs, twining them with the armored alien's and yanked sideways. Surprised, he went down hard on his back. Ron was up in a flash, ducking past him as a laser canon equipped robotic arm took a swipe at him. None of the armor plated beasts would dare fire with their leader lying among them.

Den Taag was only down for an instant, battle-honed reflexes kicking in as he sprung back to his feet, swinging his own weapon in a deadly arc. The tip of the weapon raked across Ron's back.

Once again his life was saved, barely, by the armor he himself was wearing, but the energy field doubled the damage the long weapon would do. He cold feel it burning his already abused flesh as he was pitched forward by the blow. He knew he was at his end. The pain was growing more and more intense. Despite the charring effect of the energy sword, he could feel his back bathed in his own blood. He staggered to his feet once more, facing his adversary.

_These things honored combat, well, that's what I'll give them!_

Bravado aside, he could feel his strength failing. It was all he could do to remain standing.

Den Taag's weapon rose. He was not even bothering with the usual spinning attack with the massive blade. Ron, in desperation, charged the Torellian, catching him in the midsection, bearing him down to the arena floor. He screamed in rage, a red mist filling his vision again.

Only this time it was not an all consuming battle rage that had almost claimed him.

_Ron! I'm coming!_ He heard in his mind.

There was a sudden cracking sound from the domed ceiling of the ring. Huge pieces of stone fell around them as Ron tried to get to his feet. A hulking battle-bot sailed through the air overhead as something shot through the crowd of warriors like a silver and black blur. It stopped, it's lithe form, like that of a slender woman with flowing silver hair, dressed in a dark gray and blue suit that hugged her curves, reached for another of the combat drones, spinning the massive multi-ton machine over her head, throwing it into another once. Small explosions went off as laser power magazines were torn asunder.

In a flash she did the same thing to another of the battle-bots.

Ron clambered off of Den Taag, who was trying to scramble away himself. He got up onto his knees, trying to see what was happening. His eyes went wide as he recognized who it was attacking the robots.

_It was KIM!_

_It WAS her voice he had heard!_

What had happened to her? It looked as if she was literally made of metal!

Strong hands gripped him under his arms, hauling him up.

"Hurry, while they are distracted, we must escape!" Sagan shouted at him.

"It's Kim!" He tried shouting, his voice almost failing him.

There was a flash of movement and they were both borne to the ground. He saw a gloved fist rising to strike his benefactor.

"Kim! No! He's with me."

She turned to look at him, her eyes, all covered in the silver metal, he could not read.

_He's one of the good guys!_ He thought at her with all the strength he could muster.

She didn't respond, except to grab both of the men by protruding parts of their armor, all three of them sailing up into the sky through the hole she had ripped in the roof.

* * *

The floor of the old wreck was not level, but it was close enough for them. At least the inside was relatively dry, which was more than they could say about the greater portion of the jungle. They had never seen anything quite like it before. There were, of course, jungles on Earth, but this was an entire planet covered in a lush, green veldt. According to Sagan, there were even oceans, but the plant life had extended itself even over the surface of the water, choking it out just as it had the solid surface.

It was becoming dark quickly in the graying twilight.

"I am not ready for sleep." The large Torellian said as they found the small crew cabins of the downed starship. "I will take the watch this night."

Ron started to translate for Kim, but she put up a hand. "I can understand him."

"But he's speaking Arkonian."

"I know, but…" she pulled of her glove, displaying a chrome colored hand. "…ever since I got here and this happened to me, I can understand what he is saying. Maybe it's part of the powers we're supposed to have."

"Powers?"

She nodded. "One of The Blessed Mother's acolytes used some kind of magic spell to bring me here from Yamanuchi. She told me that I was the second part of the Trinity, then, before she could say anything else, I could feel what they were doing to you back there. I changed into…this and the next thing I knew I was flying straight to you."

Without another word, Sagan and Kim started helping him remove the ruined sections of his armor, exposing the bruises, burns and the great gash across his back. With a gentleness unimaginable from such great hands, he examined the injuries. He forced Ron to sit down on the bunk and disappeared forward, returning with a dusty case.

"This is one good thing the Arkonians have given us." He said as he produced a can that looked much like a Terran aerosol. He sprayed it over the wounds, using his hands to liberally coat the areas as the expanding foam swelled over the charred and ruined sections of his flesh. Almost immediately the greater part of the pain died away, though he was sure the room was now tilting at a greater and greater angle.

"The pain-dampers in this healing foam will make you dizzy for a few hours, but you should be much better by morning. I do not have the proper knowledge to tell you how this works, only that it liquefies damaged cells, causing them to flow and bond, effectively healing the worst wounds. I suppose a race such as yours needs this to improve your chances of survival, considering, for the most part, you are weaker than us."

Kim favored the man with a sidelong look at the comment. Perhaps he had missed her throwing the robots around like rag dolls.

Feeling much better, Ron put a hand on his wife's thigh. She responded by taking his hand and holding it gently, giving it the lightest squeeze.

Ron was almost sure the alien was smiling behind the mask of his helmet as he left the two of them alone in the old cabin.

Kim, on the other hand, was not. Even though the silvery metal exposed every detail, right down to the tiny hairs on her face, Ron could not see her pupils. He looked into those, eyes, wondering exactly what he was seeing.

She unsnapped her bracelet then slipped off her other glove, sitting on the slightly tilted bed. Ron could still see the dismay in her face when she saw that both her hands had turned to bright metal.

"Ron, help me out of my suit." She said with break in her voice.

"Do you think that's wise? I mean, what if they catch up to us or something. We'd have to get…"

"Ron, please. I just want out of this thing. Right now!"

Not knowing what else to say or even if he wanted to he helped her pull off the boots, despite the muted pain he was still feeling, noting even her feet, in fact every space between her toes were covered by the metal as well. Not waiting for him, she shucked off the now-tattered cargo pants and started peeling the dark gray suit off her body. Free of the garment, she turned away from him, hunching in on herself as if she was ashamed to be undressed in front of him.

He put a hand on her bare shoulder. If he closed his eyes he would not have known he wasn't touching her bare skin. He pulled her into a hug, despite her attempt to pull away from him.

Every inch of her body looked as if it had been plated in chrome.

He ran his fingers through her hair. It felt somehow…stiffer, like each individual hair had been covered in the material. She turned to face him, her oddly unexpressive eyes locking with his. Tentatively she reached for him, gently drawing him to her for a kiss.

Her lips were as soft as ever, as was her skin, but there was something different. He couldn't put his finger on it at first, until she became more passionate, opening her mouth to his, her tongue dancing around inside his mouth. Then it was clear to him. There was no moisture. Whatever it was that covered her on the outside had covered the inside of her mouth as well. Somehow the shiny, opaque layer of metal was coming between them.

Despite that he wouldn't, couldn't stop kissing her. With each passing moment she became more and more intense. Finally she broke away from him, hunching down on herself again, hiding as much of her body as she could.

"What if I can't change back?" She asked softly in the dying light.

His mouth worked, but no words came out. He was furiously trying to remember what they had been told before. "What did this girl say?" he finally asked.

Kim told him about her subterfuge as the false-Yori, and the brief statements she had made to remind her what the old crone said to them.

"I guess we weren't paying enough attention, then." He said.

The light of dusk was finally fading away. Kim had no idea how far she had flown from the place she had been brought to. She only saw the vast expanse of green jungle beneath her as she flew. "What do we do now?"

"For now? We rest." He pulled her toward him again, lying down on his side so as not to reopen the rapidly healing wound on his back. "Tomorrow, it's Mission Time." He wrapped an arm around her waist. In the dark he could imagine it was her real skin against him. She was still warm and soft, though the metal surface was smooth and dry.

"Mission?"

"Lives to be saved, people to help." He said as the mild narcotic effect of the healing salve took over. "I will tell you all about it in the morning." He yawned, drifting off to sleep.

Somehow, her body either changed into or covered with living metal, both her and her husband spirited away to an alien planet, she was strangely content. She was with Ron. People needed their help.

The universe was as it should be again.


	12. On Our Own Terms

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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* * *

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**Chapter 12: On Our Own Terms**

* * *

Yori shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying furiously to find a position where her new low-rider jeans were not binding in the most disquieting places. She was certain that if she had not been blessed with generous curves they would have fallen to her ankles every time she stood up, just like Stoppable-san.

Considering what she was wearing underneath the new pants, that would have been infinitely more embarrassing to the normally demure and quite conservative young woman that it would be to her one-time crush and his long boxer shorts.

It certainly didn't help the young woman driving the jeep was dressed almost the same way and seemed perfectly comfortable with it. "Chica, your actin' like a coyote that cranked a leg on a cactus over there. Sure I don't need to pull over for a rest stop?"

"I am quite all right, thank you, Possible-san. I am afraid that your American-style clothing just does not fit me correctly."

Taking her eyes off the long, straight desert road for just a moment, Joss gave her companion a quick once over. "Looks like they fit just fine to me."

"It is just…I am not accustomed to clothing this tight and restricting…or this revealing." She complained, indicating her pants and the lacy red crop-top Joss had picked out for her.

"Revealing? You're the one that was runnin' around in a skin tight ninja getup."

"My gi was not revealing. In fact it covered up far more than this outfit does. I am certain that half of my backside shows."

"Well, speaking of backsides, if that silk outfit wasn't revealin' then how come I could tell you weren't wearin' no drawers under it? Or anything else for that matter?"

"I was dressed appropriately for my task." She said, red coloring her cheeks. "Besides, one can hardly call what I have on now underwear." Yori was turning as red as her top, considering the direction their conversation was taking. "I should have purchased the clothing I selected first."

"What, that skirt thing? You woulda looked like a cath-lick school-gal in that thing. That would have stuck out like a palomino in a goat pen. We're tryin' not to be noticed."

"Not to be noticed? I have been propositioned twice now since putting this on."

"Yeah, me too, but I'm willin' ta bet those hombres have already forgotten you and moved onto the next Chiquita. There's a big difference between dressin' up hot and dressin' up weird. When ya look as good as we do, we'd 'tract more attention if we dressed like we were tryin' ta hide it."

Uncomfortable as she was, Yori had to admit Joss had a point.

They drove for another half hour. Every so often Joss would pick up her Kimmunicator and check the progress of a dot on the tracking screen. Bored, she tried to strike a conversation up with the Japanese woman again.

"So, what is the bid deal with you and Ron? Did ya'll hook up before he got together with Kim?"

"Hook up?"

"Yeah. Went steady with, boyfriend/girlfriend, dating, jumped in the sack…" she rattled off a list of what the multi-purpose term could mean.

"No, I did not!" She answered, perhaps a little more forcefully than she wanted to.

"So, how come cousin Kim went all green eyed over you and Ron?"

"Were here eyes not always green?"

"Jealous, Yori. I mean, even right up to the wedding, if your name came up she'd go all tense and everything. She didn't even do that with me and I came right out and told her I had a crush on him when I was little."

"Perhaps that itself is the answer. I am almost the same age as both of them, perhaps a few months older. Also, you said you made your intentions known. You cleared the air and, like you said, you were a little girl at the time."

Joss chafed at the 'little girl' comment, though she figured Yori was right. "So, what happened? Did Kim catch you smooching or something?"

"No. The only time she ever saw me kiss Stoppable-san she was standing right beside him."

"Whoa! So you did crush on him!" Joss almost squealed. "And you laid one on him right in front of Kim? That was spankin'!"

"I do not think a chaste kiss on the cheek would qualify as spanking, though I could not tell which one of them was the most shocked."

"So, bottom line it for me. Did you want to date Ron or not?"

"Yes, I did."

"But you didn't say anything."

"I thought at the time I was making myself clear. Despite the signals I gave him, he seemed to only have eyes for his future wife. The only way I could have been more obvious would have been to come out and tell him I was interested in him."

"Yeah, you'd about have to do that with him. Even that time back when I first met him and I kind of attached myself to his arm he seemed kind of oblivious to it. He didn't even catch how tweaked Kim got when I kissed him on the cheek when they left. Kim said he kind of freaked on their ride home when she told him I had a little-girl crush on him. Twelve and almost sixteen wouldn't have been right."

"I thought your current boyfriend was even older than Stoppable-san."

Joss blushed, but only just slightly. "Guess bein' almost nineteen does make a difference. At least to me it does. Sure riles up Daddy somethin' fierce."

"It is dishonorable to ignore the wishes of your elders, especially your father's."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just he don't like it cause I get lots of attention from men. But I'm an adult now and I can make my own decisions. So I'm datin' a guy who's five years older than me. Big whoop, it's not like I'm gonna marry this un."

"Isn't the point of dating to discover your future mate?"

"Maybe. It's also a good way to have a good time with hot guys."

"I am still not comfortable with the attention men pay me, especially dressed this way." Yori said, wiggling her backside again, trying to keep the crease from pinching.

"Well, if you like Ron, you obviously like the guys. Why not just let nature take its course. They can look, doesn't mean they get to touch, especially when you can put the ninja smack-down on them."

"That would not be…seemly."

"You sure are a strange Chica, Yori. Me, I like all the attention, 'specially since I used to be kind of a tom-boy. Comes with bein' a cowgirl, I guess. But when guys start payin' me all kinds of attention, tellin' me how pretty an all I am, makes me feel like a real woman inside. Then there's the kissin'…and the other stuff…" She sighed slightly, thinking about her after-mission time in the Bahamas.

"I would not know. Most of the students where teach are boys, yet they do not seem to think of me as anything other than one of the instructors there."

"I bet you're wrong on that count." Joss smiled at her. "Hot for teacher is pretty universal, even if they're trained well enough not to show it. Now, come on, you were a student there not too long ago, you can't tell me that out of all those boys, you never had one that you would have considered dating?"

"Let us just say that I have not met a man who I would do more than kiss on the cheek."

"Wait a minute, hold the phone, that's it right there!"

"What is?"

"You mean to tell me, at your age, lookin' like you do, you're still a virgin? No wonder Kim freaked out, she thinks you're saving yourself for Ron."

"I was not saving myself just for him. He turned out to be meant for somebody else, I just have not found anyone else who would be worthy of me. Would you not save yourself for a man worthy of you?"

"Don't know, not 'xactly savin' myself."

"Oh." Yori blushed again, getting Joss' meaning. They sat in silence for a while, neither of them smiling any more.

"Yeah, 'oh.'" Joss said, suddenly just a tiny bit upset. "I guess I've never met anyone like Ron who could be that close to me. So I date…a lot. Sometimes I go steady with a guy for a little while, sometimes it's just a date or two. Sometimes it turns out all the guy wants is a little tumble. Once it even turned out the guy really wanted to be with me since I looked so much like Kim."

"You really do not like being compared to her, do you?"

"When it's in a good light? Fine! Let's just say that one guy called me Kim at…a very bad time."

"How would…oh!" She exclaimed, blushing once more.

After a few minutes Joss asked, "Did you love Ron?"

She considered the question a moment before answering. "In hindsight? No. It really was, as you say it, just a crush. So, what about you, Possible-san? Did you love Ron?"

"Nah. Just a crush. Still, can't believe you wouldn't go for that hottie with the hair."

"Hair? Oh, you mean Hirotaka?"

"Yeah. I saw his picture in Kim's yearbook from the exchange thing. Him I could crush on."

"Not my type."

"No?"

"I prefer blondes." Yori smiled.

"You are not helping yourself on the cousin Kim front, you know."

She looked at Joss, who was smiling, realizing she was just ribbing her.

They crested a slight rise, catching view of some of the sparse traffic on the desert road, including the large silver bus they had been shadowing.

"This is a much better way of tracking them, I must admit." Yori said.

"Well, as long as they've got those Moodulators with them, we've got a chance. Joss said, her expression shifting into Mission Mode.

"How is it that Load-san can track an inactive electronic device?"

"Let's just say that those particular little things bother him quite a bit." She jammed on the accelerator, starting to close the distance between them and their target.

"Are we even sure they are still on the bus?"

"No, but somebody got on there in Yuma carryin' all six of the stolen chips. They ain't pulled over yet, and according to this," she held her Kimmunicator up, showing Yori the screen, "They're still on that bus. Worst case scenario now, we get the chips back before they can be used for anything bad."

Yori nodded. It was there best shot considering the trail had gone cold after Bortel's lab. The plan this time was simple. Twice now Yori had been bested trying to take the pair on in their own element. She was good, but there was a reason they were working in tandem. They were a team, combining their strengths. Now it was time for Joss and Yori to confront them on their terms.

Fighting the urge to look through the tinted windows of the large, silver bus as they passed, Yori looked the other way. The pair had not yet seen Joss and wouldn't be forewarned if they saw her speeding past them.

Once out in front, Joss picked up her comm. "Wade, you sure they're getting off at the next town?"

"As near as I can tell, Joss. The pair you described bought a ticket for only that far. They're either switching busses there to throw you off the track, or they're meeting whoever they're turning the Moodulators over to. Either way, that's where you have to confront them."

"Got it." She checked her mirror. The bus was now several hundred yards behind them. The town, itself just a series of scattered buildings along the highway, could be seen in the distance. She reached down between the seats, bringing her slim new grappling gun out and sticking it in her impossibly tight seeming belt.

Yori took note, making sure her hook and chain were ready as well.

"Wade, the local law know we're comin'?"

"Already done. The local sheriff isn't about to stop any red Jeeps for speeding. You're all clear."

"Rockin, Wade, Wild Child out!" She started to stick the comm into a cargo pocket, realizing it wasn't there. She glanced at Yori. "Okay, for future reference, low-riders don't have enough pocket space."

"They don't have enough of any kind of space." Yori replied, wearing a look of slight satisfaction.

They pulled into the town. There was a bus company sign out in front of the gas station. They pulled into the lot and parked around the side. The piled out, Yori heading around the back as if looking for the lady's room, Joss walking casually around the front and getting a cold drink from a machine as the bus approached. She hooked her thumbs over her belt, keeping her hand close to the grappler in the back. She took a long swig of her Pepsi as the transport pulled to a dusty halt. Tilting her cowboy hat back, she waited, watching as indistinct shapes got up and made their way to the front of the bus.

Fourth and fifth out of the door were two otherwise innocuous passengers. They were both wearing shorts and t-shirts to be as comfortable as possible in the late-summer heat, though both were wearing caps and sunglasses. Each was carrying well-stuffed backpacks.

Joss recognized them, even with the headgear. She plastered a huge smile on her face and started right toward them.

"Ron! Kim! Is that you? Howdy!" She shouted at them, holding her arms out as if she expected a big hug.

The pair looked as if they were being charged by an enraged rhino. In the space of two heartbeats they did exactly what she wanted them to.

They ran.

She noted with satisfaction that, surprised out in the open, they both chose to run the same way. Good! That made this all that much easier. The grappler, its plastic body molded in bright orange to lessen the chances it would be mistaken for a gun, appeared in her hand. She raised it and fired. Instead of the usual hook and spike tip, a miniature bolo whipped out, wrapping itself around the legs of the false-Kim. She went down hard.

The false-Ron skidded to a halt, reaching down to help his stricken partner. That's when the black hook and chain seemed to stretch out of nowhere, wrapping around his midsection, pinning his arms. In seconds Yori was there, wrapping the chain around him.

Joss was already binding the hands and feet of her captive. She turned her onto her back, pulling off the cap and glasses.

"I think it's time that you and me have a talk about things." She said, ice in her voice.

* * *

Some time during the night the rain began in earnest. Not able to sleep, nor really wanting to, Kim slipped out of Ron's warm embrace and walked out into the main cabin of the wrecked aircraft or starship, whatever it was. She caught sight of Sagan, who was standing out in the rain like some kind of carved sentinel. His attention was directed outward so he did not see her up and about, though if she could have, she would have blushed anyway. She realized the only thing she was wearing was a second skin of living metal and she was pretty certain it left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Not wanting to potentially give a stranger a show, she ducked back inside their tiny cabin, contenting herself with watching Ron in the diluted moonlight. Even with the thick cloud cover she could make out the dim outline of the full, larger moon through the windows.

He was sleeping soundly, both from exhaustion and from the effects of the healing foam the old Torellian had applied to him. Still, she wished he was awake, both because she wanted to talk to him and because she wanted to be with him, though she wondered if that would even work in her condition. If Ron hadn't been injured she certainly would have tried. For heaven's sake, even with the horrible gash on his back and the bruising, if he had been awake he probably would have tried too. In his sleep the hand he draped over her had come to rest in its usual place after all. Ah, just as well he was sleeping. She didn't want to hurt him.

Then there was the issue that, at least in this form, she had been able to throw fifteen foot tall robots around like toys. _Kim of metal, Ron of tissue_, she said in her head.

_That's Man of Steel, Woman of Tissue, but I understand the reference_, he said, his soul speaking directly to hers.

_You are supposed to be asleep, Ronnie_, she thought back to him.

_I think I am._

_Then who am I talking to? Dream Ron?_

Kim blinked. Half forgotten memories drifted back to her. When they had fought Arcus Uri and his men on Arkonia, they could hear each other in their minds. They put that down to their imaginations running wild during the battle. Then it happened again as they were returning to Earth. Again the idea they were speaking to each other through their soul connection was dismissed as pure fantasy.

Yet here she was having a short conversation with Ron as he slept.

His eyes slowly opened, glittering in the soft light.

"You know, in this light, you're kind of cute." He said.

"Flatterer." She smiled back at him. She leaned over the bed and kissed him gently. He responded by pulling her back down into the bed, throwing the dusty covers back over her again and holding her close in a bear hug.

"I think that medicine wore off." He said.

"Is it hurting again?" She asked, her hand feeling around his bare back, trying to find the gash.

"Actually, no. I feel pretty good."

She twisted around again, letting him snuggle against her back. "Ronnie, what if I'm stuck this way from now on?"

"Shhhhh. Don't say things like that. Besides, we've met somebody with your new powers before. Remember, he could change back and forth at will."

"I know. But…but remember he talked about his brother, he had the powers first and he couldn't change back for a long, long time."

"KP, I think he didn't change back because he didn't know he could. He still did."

"But I don't know how." She said, her voice cracking. "Ron, I don't want to be like this. I can feel your touch but It's not right somehow. I can see you, but I can't smell you…"

"Baby, right now I think that's a really, really good thing." He said, wrapping his hands around her waist.

"I'm not kidding, Ron. I know you probably need a bath. Heaven knows, I probably do to under this…stuff, for all I know."

"Well, okay, what happened when you changed?"

She though a moment. "I was fighting with the girl who was pretending to be Yori."

"Okay, then what. How did you start to change?"

"It didn't…it didn't start until the pain started." She turned over, looking into his eyes.

"She hurt you?"

"No, it wasn't my pain. It was yours. I could feel what was happening to you. I thought you were dying, then there was this burst of light. I tried screaming when all this metal started wrapping around me, but instead I started flying, instinctively knowing where you were."

_I'm not hurting now._

_But we're still in danger _she thought back.

"We've been in danger lots of times before, KP. Hmm, okay, what about all the things the Blessed Mother told us about this?"

"I don't remember anything about turning our powers off and on and you seem to have lost yours."

He put his chin on her shoulder, a tear rolling down his cheek, though she could not feel it as it dripped onto her. "No, baby, I didn't. Before you got to me, it saved my life…"

"What?..."

"I…I had to fight in that arena. They gave me a sword and somehow I knew how to use it. I've never used a weapon that big in my life, yet the moment I tried to defend myself, it's like my hands knew what to do with it. The next thing I knew, I'd won the fight."

She pushed him back slightly so she could see his eyes. The answer to her unspoken question was there…

…he had been forced to kill his opponent.

That was the pain. It wasn't his body in pain, it was his soul. That's what had called out to her through their connection.

"Oh my God, Ron."

"When it happened, the crowd was cheering me, but all I could do was throw up. That's when they found out I was human and they tried to kill me." The tears were spilling out of his eyes full force now. She pulled him back into her embrace and let him cry. She could feel the pain in his soul and no matter how much she loved him or how much he loved her, she couldn't take that pain away.

Or could she?

The Blessed Mother had said something! Their love was the key to their power! Yet it was another venerable mentor who had been giving her the clues she needed.

"Ron, tell me something. Sensei asked me a question before I came here and it has been bothering me."

"Um hmm." He said, still sobbing slightly.

"I can't remember the first time I told you that I loved you."

His sobbing stopped as he met her eyes again. "You don't remember?"

"No, I can't." her voice was cracking. It was literally hurting her that she couldn't

"It was after the Junior Prom. We walked until we were on a bluff overlooking the city and we watched the sun come up. Right as it crested the ridge you said 'Ronnie, I love you.'…unquote."

Kim smiled, her voice sounding part sob, part laugh. "No, silly, that's when you told me you loved me, not the other way around. You said 'I love you, KP.'"

Suddenly it felt as if her heart had been set free once more. It was so simple. How could she have forgotten?

"Jinx, you owe me a soda." Ron said, a goofy smile spreading over his face. Then, as she looked into his eyes, his mouth gaped open. She caught a whiff of his days without brushing breath and choked a bit.

"Ron, that was over five years ago, you can't wait that long to call…" She stopped and leaned close to him, taking a deep breath. He had been right earlier, he reeked.

It was the fact she now knew he reeked that made her hear leap. She could smell his sweat, his breath! She could feel the stiff, bristles of his quickly filling in beard as she touched his face.

She touched his face with a hand of plain, normal flesh.

Love was the key to her power!

Despite the fact they both needed a very long shower, they delved into that power until dawn.


	13. Missing Pieces

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 13: Missing Pieces**

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It was not immediately clear whether the room was meant to be a laboratory or a trophy room. It could have served as either, though the circular chamber was empty of any scientific equipment or any other adornment save a long table upon which an odd assortment of seemingly unrelated items sat, each carefully placed a set distance apart. Gryphion looked at each piece, sometimes divining the object's purpose, sometimes not. He was more than familiar with Terran technology but, out of context, he did not immediately recognize everything he was seeing. He had entered the room unchallenged after one of his servants mentioned its existence. He was one of the few who could wander the halls of the Master's Palace freely, though he was acutely aware of the eyes upon him at all times. He was fully aware the Master did not trust him. Podondrin may have been utterly evil, but he was not stupid.

He walked over to the table, selecting a nearly featureless cylinder. It was made of metal but a special red colored coating had been applied so those who wished to could track it more easily. That mattered very little now, since the original owners of that particular piece of technology were only able to track it on their own world. This, at least, he recognized.

He was fully aware just how dangerous it was.

Carefully he placed it back in its original location just as the footfalls he was listening to came to a halt behind him.

"You play dangerous games, Gryphion." Said an icy, almost inhuman voice.

"Ah, but that is the only kind of game worth playing. They would be no use to me if they were not." He answered easily. He turned and faced the speaker, one eyebrow arching in the only greeting he spared the so-called Master of all Arkonia.

Podondrin, the Dark Lord of their world stood there, his black cloak wrapped around his tall frame. Even here in his citadel he wore the masked helmet of his station with its stylized demonic smile and long, spiky vanes reaching upwards. A small retinue of guards remained a pace behind him, every eye in their heads certainly on him though they were not visible behind their dark visors. Nearby waited one of his slave-clones, a thin, haggard creature with short blonde hair and a haunted look that even disturbed Gryphion.

Turning back away from the Dread One he delicately placed his hand on the crimson cylinder once more. "Are my distractions any more dangerous than bringing a device here which could turn the entire capitol and possibly much of Dagan itself into a vortex of pure chaos?"

"The Terran device has been rendered inoperable." He replied, sounding almost bored.

"Then why send your Gatherers to claim it if you do not wish to use if for its intended purpose. It would certainly be at home among the other items in your arsenal of…unnatural power."

If his choice of words upset Podondrin, the masked being gave no indication. "No power is truly unnatural. You know this. Why do you continue to pretend your ancient mysticism is the beginning and end of all things. It is only a part of the greater whole. You have lived almost as long as I have and you still have not learned this?"

"I know all too well that what you say is so, yet those who seek to exploit their worlds using only science, ignoring the natural powers, they are the ones who create things such as…this." He picked the red cylinder up once more, holding it between them. "They create things that can create vortices of chaos or that can rip apart time and space itself without truly understanding what they are actually doing or what they may unleash on the universe.

Podondrin took the object from Gryphion's hand, holding it close to his masked face for just a moment. Twin bands that had been invisible a moment before flashed, first in yellow, then red as it began beeping. "Satisfied, Lord Gryphion? Now this device is operational. In five time-parts it will create a quantum singularity, destroying the majority of this city as well as this Palace." As though he couldn't care less he handed the device back to him.

Controlling his fear, he regarded the device, fighting the distraction of the incessant beeping. In his hand was a piece of Terran technology that would kill him and everyone around him for hundreds of miles. He knew what it was, but he had no idea how Podondrin had activated it, nor how he could deactivate it. As powerful as he was, it was disquieting to hold such a powerful weapon in his hands knowing it was primed to go off.

Feigning indifference, he placed it back on the table. "Perhaps I could open a lens and drop it on the capitol of Tor El Ka."

"I enjoy the way you think. Perhaps some day I will allow you to do just that, but not today. I have my uses for the Torellian Emperor, at least for now." With a wave of his hand the bands switched to green before disappearing completely once more. The object he knew as the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer became silent once more.

"Why were you on Earth, Gryphion?"

That question surprised him. The means he had used to travel there should not have been visible to the Dark One.

"I have…interests there." He was thinking furiously, trying to figure out how he knew. Much of his plan hinged on his ability to travel to the other human world.

"As I said, you play dangerous games. Have a care. The Terrans and their science are dangerous. Very dangerous. Much more so than the war-like Torellians. Do not interfere with them. They will be dealt with, but in the proper time."

"My interests will not interfere with your plans."

"Be certain they don't. I have given you much latitude, much more than any other among my servants. You do not want me to have to remind you of your place."

"Is that a warning or a threat, Father?"

A gauntleted hand flashed upwards, grabbing Gryphion by the neck, nearly lifting him from the floor. "You are a little too quick with the tongue, whelp. I may yet have to remind you of your station. Just because this body sired you, that does not mean I am that man." The hand released his throat and smoothed a wrinkle in his cape. "You have been a faithful servant, Lord Gryphion, but do not make the mistake that you are anything more than that."

"Of course, Lord Master." He said in contrition, though he did not cast his eyes down as any other servant of the Dark One would have done. He wished he could have seen past the dark lenses that made the eyes of the mask, to see Podondrin's real eyes so he might have some inkling what the dark creature was thinking. He wondered if there was any life, any trace of a soul in those eyes.

Podondrin turned on his heels, his guards parting to let him pass, leaving Gryphion to ponder his words.

Theirs was a dance the two powerful beings had been doing for over seven centuries now.

He waited until he was certain Podondrin and his entourage had cleared with wide hallway and exited the chamber himself, still perplexed at the seemingly random selection of junk the Master's Gatherers had sent from Earth. Most was just primitive technological detritus, mere curiosities that Podondrin's own scientists could come up with in their sleep. He also wondered why exactly it was necessary for those two, very specific clone-slaves to be sent. There were other, more experienced Gatherers in his employ, yet he always sent those two. Why?

That reminded him. He had his own Gatherers to attend to. He looked over his shoulder, his well attuned senses easily picking up the cloaked sentry eye that hovered nearby. Even when Podondrin's spies were not about to keep tabs on him, those thrice cursed sentries were there, always watching his every move when he was in or near the Palace.

Had one of them been sent to follow him when he used the Terran idol to travel to Earth? Or had he simply been seen by one of Podondrin's many spies?

He had no way of knowing for sure.

Quickening his pace, he made his way deep into the massive structure known as the Master's Palace, past the newer additions of hand carved stone that had been constructed over the last thousand or so years. Still aware of the floating electronic eye, he approached a metal door barring his path. With the wave of his hand the doors parted, not swinging outward like those he had passed, but pulling sideways into the wall with a slight 'whoosh' sound. The corridor he entered lit up before him, the walls made, no longer of wood and stone, but of metal, glass and what must have been plastic. It looked brand new, but he knew it was far, far older than the stone exterior most of the palace denizens knew of. This was the true Palace, hidden deep beneath centuries of additions.

He was one of the few who knew it was actually an ancient starship.

Quickening his pace suddenly, he turned a corner and mouthed a word of power under his breath. His body flickered, then seemingly split in two. In the twinkling of an eye one part faded from view while the other walked down the corridor as if nothing had happened. Just as his shrouding spell too full effect, the spy-eye rounded the corner, reacquiring its charge. He watched it go by him, fooled by a spell that did much the same thing its technology did for it.

Satisfied he was now able to move undetected he retraced his steps back out into the newer, more primitive sections of the palace, quickly letting himself into an empty servant's room. There, he let the shrouding spell drop as he waited. It was not long before an old man bearing a long, wrapped bundle appeared, responding to a call he alone could hear.

"Have you brought me what I asked for?" He asked, almost urgently.

"Yes, my Lord, but I fear you will not be pleased."

Gryphion smiled pleasantly at the old servant. He had been his main attendant since coming of age, replacing his own grandfather, who had in turn replaced his. Soon another grandchild, perhaps a great grandchild would be selected this time, but for the moment he honored the faithful man by allowing his continued service. "If my Gatherers have obeyed my orders, how can I be displeased?"

"Look upon this and judge for yourself, my Lord." He unwrapped his burden, revealing a beautiful sword with a slender, curving blade, the edge extending from a chisel tip all the way to the ornate round guard. The grip was delicately wrapped in knotted silk cords joined by tiny metal rings that may have been gold. The grip itself was curved to match the blade and was apparently made to be held with two hands despite the small size of the overall weapon.

"This is what the Gatherers found when they raided the Temple of the Tragda Sur in southern Cha'in T'ao. I am afraid it is not the sword you hoped they would find there."

He nodded, feeling his heart sink as the sword emerged from its wrappings. When he saw his old servant carrying the curved bundle, he felt a surge of excitement, as he was expecting a sword with precisely that shape. It still was the same general shape, but none of the other details were correct. There were no runes in ancient Azarian on the blade, nor was there a carved Tragda Sur emblem on the butt-cap of a leather wrapped one-handed grip. "So this is the sword that was housed in the Crypt of Arkon?"

"That is what they reported to me when they returned. I take it then that they failed after all?"

"No, they did not fail. I know these men and they would not lie to cover up events beyond their control. If there was a failure, it is my own. I was certain I found the hiding place of…" he looked at his faithful servant. The humans of Earth had a saying 'What you didn't know wouldn't hurt you.' With a wave he dismissed the man, wrapping the sword up in its coverings once more and hiding it in his cloak before restoring his shrouding spell. He made his way back down to the metal doors and sent a mental call. Minutes later his doppelganger appeared, striding with purpose toward his quarters. He simply stepped into his own phantom, merging with it as both spells dissipated. He kept up the pace until he was safely within his own quarters. Here even the spy-eyes would not follow. Still, he cast several privacy spells, just in case other types of eyes were watching him.

He pulled the sword from his cloak and unwrapped it, frowning all the while. He had been so sure. The documents he had acquired, the ancient texts he had deciphered, they all pointed to that one temple on the far side of the world. How could they have been so wrong? This was supposed to be the culmination of nearly a century of hard work and study on his part.

What no one, not even Podondrin himself realized was that Gryphion was now quite a lot older than what was recorded. Officially he was, by the Terran calendar, not quite eight hundred years old. That did not take into account almost a century spent studying Earth using the Tempus Simia idol to travel about in time, sometimes observing, sometimes participating. During those journeys he had learned much of the history and lore of the Yamanuchi School, especially considering his Mother's interest in it.

He knew the sword his Gatherers had claimed was actually of Terran origin, specifically a Japanese Katana…a very particular one at that.

What was the Lotus Blade doing in a temple that was supposed to house the Sword of the Effurien?


	14. The Lioness

**_The Trinity Sitch – Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 14: The Lioness**

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"What part of I am not doing that any more do you not understand?"

Drakken could have thought he never saw his wife this enraged before, but that would not have been the truth. In fact he had seen her his way many, many times, though it should be said that this was the first time since they had been married. That wasn't saying too much considering it had only been three months. What bothered him the most, beyond the fact Shego could do serious bodily harm even with her powers completely suppressed was that he knew she absolutely hated having her daughter see her like this and he had to admit he felt bad about that as well. Evil plans to take over the world or a self-centered desire to prevent others from doing so was one thing but something in him made him shun those thoughts when it came to 'his' little girl.

"Shego, dearest, beloved, sweetie, darling…" He could already tell he wasn't helping his case. She was angry and no pet names (he never quite got the fact she didn't like pet names) were going to help now. She had calmly ushered Amethyst to her room then picked him up by the front of his lab coat, slamming him against the wall of their home.

They had just come from the Pre-K center in Middleton, feeling fortunate that the three of them had been allowed to return to their home. The two remaining Global Justice agents were not officers and given the man they had assumed was their team leader turned out to be something else entirely they had no idea how to proceed. Technically Drakken had assaulted them, though in retrospect he had only shoved them out of the way to get to his daughter. They had been focused on what was going on inside and never realized he used something other than his hands to push them aside. They also never saw the little girl powered up so when the chips fell, all they had to go on was their standing orders that the Lipskys were to be left alone. There would be plenty of fallout over the agent Gryphen debacle to occupy them for some time to come.

Needless to say, Amethyst was not going back to that particular Pre-K tomorrow, or any time soon for that matter. Drakken's scar started twitching when he realized who Shego was likely to turn to now to begin the child's education.

The ride home was spent mostly drying Ammie's tears. She kept insisting that she didn't cry, but that was just a childish boast from an upset three-year-old who had just discovered something terribly frightening about herself. Despite himself, Drakken wanted to comfort the little girl as well, but in an unusual move, Shego had insisted he drive.

He was not about to mention the very expensive motorcycle that was left at the Pre-K, sitting on its side.

Once they were home Shego poured Ammie a tall glass of milk and calmly sat down at the kitchen table beside her and told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was now going to explain exactly what was going on.

So, he started with the point when he was freed from prison, by the very man who had just tried to take their child into custody. She listened to his story without comment. Her scowl started to deepen as he described his early attempts to decipher the book, her anger partly because managed to do this behind her back without her finding out about it and partly because she, like him, did not trust the occult, only hard science. Her eyes went wide when he got to the part about using the Trinity's computer to finish the translation.

In a slow, measured voice she asked, "How did you get on that ship?"

He hesitated for half a moment, seeing in her eyes that she already had guessed exactly how he had done it. Cringing, he told her, suspecting that he just might become the second person she had killed. Worse that that was the fact he suspected that at that moment his three-month marriage was at an end, utterly destroyed by a betrayal he then believed and still believed was absolutely necessary. Instead she sat there, listening to the rest of his tale, her eyes cold and emotionless, full of ice barely holding back flames of her fury. It was not until he got to the end, with his plans based upon what he had learned that she got up, picked her daughter up from the table, closed her in her room and grabbed him.

"You actually want me to help you steal a space ship just so you can check out a theory based on a book some old guy wrote two thousand years ago? Earth to Drakken! I am not stealing ANYTHING any more! And for that matter, just what the HELL did you think you were doing using Ammie to break into that ship? Do you have any idea what would happen if you were caught? They wouldn't just arrest you, they would come for me and do you know what would happen then? They would take her! They'd take her and even if I could escape and get her back somehow she would still spend her life on the run. I turned my back on everything I stood for because of her. You wanted the world and I did too until I found out she IS my world!"

Drakken was cowering now under her unbridled fury. He tried to protest but his words came out as a bare whimper. "But Shego, I love her too. I'm her Daddy."

"YOU ARE NOT HER DADDY AND YOU JUST PROVED IT!" She screamed in his face, her skin turning redder by the moment, then started shading slightly green as her powers started to flare. "So, _Drew_, is that why you married me? Is that the reason you claimed to love me? Is she just the key to your latest scheme?"

"Yes she is!" he barked, grabbing her wrists and tearing her hands away from his coat. "She's all part of my evil plan to create a perfect world in my image. She's they lynchpin of my latest whack scheme to take over all of the Earth just so I can hand it over to a power-hungry demon from another planet! Falling in love with you was just a bonus!" he spat the last out, his own rage broiling.

"Love, you don't know the first thing about love. You don't even know it when it's thrown in you face. You once had friends, but what did you do? They laugh at you and instead of laughing with them you turn it all inside you and run away from them as fast as you could go. You find out you have a lot in common with Stoppable and what do you do? You open up a bag of freak on him and his friends the moment the holidays were over. Our worst enemy suddenly turns around and helps us set up some semblance of a normal life and all you can do is make faces when I try to return the favor and at least act like a friend!"

"A friend? Shego, you hate Kim Possible and that crybaby husband of hers."

"Yeah, I did once, and what did that get me? It got me kicked into your Diablo Bot control tower, electrocuted, crushed under tons of metal. If it weren't for my powers I'd just be dead. Why, cause I hated her so much I had to keep pushing her buttons until she got pissed enough at me to try to kill me. Then when we snuck away all I could do was to think how much I wanted to get back at her. That ate me up inside until someone told me all I had done was to, for a moment, make her just like me and even that wasn't enough revenge because she still went on to bigger and better things. I was the only one getting hurt and then I realized if I had spent half the energy I did hating her being her friend my life would have been so much better!"

"If you had been that way you would have married that boy right out of high school, you would have stayed a hero and you would have had a bunch of children with him and I would have never met you." Drakken spat with a little more venom than he meant to.

"Yeah, I'd have never met you and I still would have had Ammie and Neil wouldn't be dead!" she shot back, both her eyes and nose running freely.

His own rage was building, fueled by the jealousy he felt for the dead man. "Don't blame me for the choices you made before I met you. I didn't even know he existed until a few years ago. You never once mentioned him."

"Because you never asked about my personal life. It was all you you you! It was, like, 'Shego, got steal this for me' or 'Shego, let's destroy Wisconsin' or 'Shego, it's Friday and you know what that means!' Did you ever even consider I might want to go out on a date of Fridays instead of listening to you massacre some Oh Boyz song?"

"You never said anything about it." He growled.

"No? Then I guess you don't understand 'Oh no! Please no! You weren't listening! You never listen! Everything about you is tunnel vision!"

"I never held a gun to your head. There's no way in the world I can force you to do anything, Shego. If you didn't want to go, you would have blasted me and walked out. Oh, wait, I forgot, that's what you did the last time I was taken to prison! When you get it in your mind you're leaving, that's what you do!"

"Oh yeah! Well I guess it's time I get my stuff and do that again! I'm sick of sitting around waiting for you to come up with some new crap that does nothing but lead us to ruin. I'm sick of you and your stupid whimpering. Go take over the world on your own, Drew Lipsky!" She turned her back on him and stomped toward the stairs.

"Don't turn your back on me." He growled, an unusual iciness in his voice.

She almost made it to the stairs when the sofa suddenly scraped across the floor, barring her path. She spun around, shock and fear in her eyes.

"I don't think you were listening to me too well. What I know now is not some theory." He held up his hand, green fire burning around it as though he suddenly possessed her powers. "I have been learning to use powers that I would not have imagined even a few years ago. My eyes have been opened to a great many things and you know what? I have the power now to take over the world and there is nothing any of them can do about it now! Have you noticed what I'm doing with that power?"

She glared at him, the menace in her expression fading, replaced with real fear.

"I have all these great cosmic powers, yet here I am in this itty-bitty living space. I tell you about these powers and all you can do is think I'm going to use it to terrorize the world. That's not why I was put on this path. I may be mad, but I'm not stupid. I don't pretend to know what Gryphion was doing by giving me that book, but I do know one thing, he was right, my job, my calling, my path is to protect you! Why? Because I love you, because I actually have been learning, because I now see something bigger than some silly notion that I can build some doomsday machine to ransom the world for power. You are so busy playing the lioness guarding her cub that you can't see that. Yes, I was selfish and boorish and a damned idiot and maybe I still am since I thought you finally, magically had come to love me, but now I see that all I am is the same fool in your eyes that I ever was."

He turned and waved his hand once more, the trap door to his workshop opening for him. With as much dignity as he could muster he walked down the stairs, closing the hatch behind him and pulling the sofa back with a gesture.

Sherry stood there, her eyes still watering. The green tint in her skin faded away as she stared at the sofa, now back in its proper place. She realized she was shaking slightly so she went to the kitchen table, sitting in the chair Ammie had been sitting in earlier. Her mind could not focus. What was she feeling? Of course she was right to be angry with him for using her daughter like that. What right did he have?

Was it the right she had given him when she agreed to marry him? Was it the right she had given him when she allowed her daughter to think of him as her father? She slumped in the chair and started muttering, not realizing she had slipped into barely remembered Hebrew.

She caught herself, halfway through the prayer. Why was she praying? She hadn't done that since her parents died, not since she was twelve. How could she pray when she had stopped believing in it a long, long time ago?

Then she realized what she was praying for. Her eyes went to a closed door across the living room. The other night she had sent Kim to occupy her daughter while she fought with Drakken. Now all that stood between her child and a screaming argument was a thin door, meant to simply cut off sight, not keep out words, especially when they came out at the top of her lungs.

She had screamed at him that he wasn't her father. Her heart started pounding. One day she knew she would have to tell Ammie about her real father, but not now, not as such a small child who needed a father figure in her life. As angry as she was with him, how could she do this to her?

Trying to build up her courage, she stood up. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other, willing herself to move across the room, her heart pounding harder and harder as she reached for the doorknob. With a deep breath she turned it.

Ammie was on her bed, a pillow covering her head, her tiny arms clutching a funny black and tan doll Kim had bought for her from a collector in Upperton.

"Honey?"

"Go away." She sobbed from under the pillow.

"Ammie."

"I said go away. You were mean to Daddy."

"Amethyst Nell Lipsky! I was not being mean."

"Yes you were. You said he wasn't my Daddy."

The words gripped her heart in ice. She had heard it, all of it. "Honey, I was angry with him. He did something very stupid."

"So if I do something stupid I'm not going to be your little girl? That's mean, you're mean!" She threw the pillow aside. Her face was puffed up and soaked with tears. Sherry rushed to the side of the bed, but her daughter just turned away from her. She gritted her teeth, trying to find the words.

"Ammie, your father loves you, he's just…"

"You said he's not."

She closed her eyes, wishing against all wishes she could take that back now. "Ammie, he is your Daddy. He was there the day you were born. He was the first person besides the doctor and me to hold you."

"But why…"

"Because I am mean. I've been a mean, nasty woman for a very, very long time and I said something so terribly stupid. I'm the one who's stupid and mean and now I've hurt you and him."

Amethyst threw her head down on another pillow, clutching the little doll, chewing on the tiny star stitched at its neck. Not knowing what else to say, Sherry just stroked her hair, gently taking the bands holding her pigtails up off so they wouldn't bind in her sleep. The little girl tried pulling away from her touch, but didn't try too hard. She was hurting, and that pain was hurting her mother as well and she didn't know what to do about that.

Softly, she started singing. There were no words, only soft sounds as she desperately tried to think of a proper song to sing to her. The only songs she really knew weren't for children. Hip-hop, rap, rock. She just mouthed toneless, shapeless words, trying to sooth her daughter.

She was halfway through the song before she realized she was singing the same Oh Boyz song Drakken always sung.

"Hello, Hello, Hello." She sang, her words clear now. She closed her eyes as she finished the chorus, biting her lower lip. Something Drew said earlier, something so unintentionally silly that it forced out a slightly choked laugh just played in her head.

A blue man with his hair pulled together with a tiny band, had just said 'great cosmic powers, itty-bitty living space. She tittered slightly, thinking of Drew as a Genie in a Lamp.

"Ammie, I've known Daddy for a long, long time. Yes, I was a bad, mean, terrible person and sometimes I did mean and nasty things to him."

"Why?"

"Because I was a nasty person."

"Aunt Kimmie told me you used to be a good girl before I was born. You weren't nasty."

She looked down at her daughter, silently thanking Princess for the tales she told the little girl. _I hope Kimmie has girls some day _she thought to herself. She kept lightly stroking her hair until she finally drifted off to sleep.

Silently she closed the door to Amethysts room, her eyes falling on the couch. Even without her powers active, she was still somewhat stronger than a normal woman her size. It took little effort to move the sofa, though it took her a bit since she didn't want to wake her daughter from her afternoon nap. The hatch opened with a simple tug. Drakken had either forgotten to latch it or didn't care.

It had never occurred to her to look under the sofa. She was not the cleanest 'housewife' in the world and if it wasn't in plain view, it didn't get swept or vacuumed. The very thought of herself wearing a pink, frilly apron, doing housework like some twenty first century June Cleaver still gave her the cold chills.

Drakken had his back to her, his cell phone pressed to his ear.

"…are you certain? Three degrees of phasic drift? No…are there any signs of other tampering? No…no…not since that lair was raided…no…I assure you, I made a promise I wouldn't do that again…yes, I do keep my promises to her…yes her! Keep me informed." He closed the phone, noticing her for the first time.

"What promises?" She asked, a little more coldly than she intended.

"If you must know, the promise I made to you that I wouldn't make any more clones."

"Then what were you just talking about."

He looked from side to side, obviously still angry with her. "That was Wade Load. It seems somebody has been making clones with the samples Global Justice stole from me when they raided my clone lab."

"Wait, you said you destroyed all those samples!" her anger started rising again.

"I destroyed all the samples I had of you. There were still others."

"Kimmie?"

"Yes, and the buf…him!"

"You mean there are clones of Kimmie and Stoppable running around?"

"Well, not any more, it seems Team Possible captured the clones. Load was just calling me to confirm some of the details, plus I'm sure he's checking up to see if I made them."

"Did…"

"No, Shego. I promised you and I meant it." He snarled at her.

"Drew, we need to talk."

"Why, so you can threaten me again, so you can ridicule me, mock everything I do?"

"No. I said some things…"

"She heard you, didn't she?"

"I…she…no…yes…"

"I see." He turned back to his work.

"Drew…"

"Yes, Shego…Sherry. We need to talk…about a great many things…but now isn't the time. Load told me something else."

"What?"

"It seems both Kimberly Anne and her husband have gone missing."

"Well, doesn't that make you happy?" She said, her old sarcasm slipping through.

"Normally, it would. Now, however, they are too important. You see, I have learned the identity of the demon I was telling you about, as well as why you are so important to Gryphion. Tell me, did you love that man…Amethyst's real father."

"What has that got…"

"Sherry, it has everything to do with it. Did you love him?"

"I…yes. Yes I did, but I only figured that out just moments before he died."

He nodded, accepting the fact she loved another man before him, if she even still did have any love left for him now.

"According to the _Book of Arkon_, he should have been what is called the Wisdom of the Effurien, or maybe Heart. I am still not totally clear on the proper translation of the term. Since he died before the full Trinity was assembled, the powers would pass to a soul that was joined with his."

"Soul? Joined? What are you talking about?"

"According to this, you are this Heart thingy…

"…and that is why we must find Kim Possi…whatever her name is now. According to my calculations, the Malendragma is on the move!"


	15. The Golden Warrior and the Silver Knight

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_ **

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Chapter 15: The Golden Warrior and the Silver Knight

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"I still can't believe you did that." Ron said as they picked their way through the rainforest/jungle of Troxxite. The muted gold color of his metallic boots was lost beneath a thick, sticky coating of mud and other decomposed matter. In fact, all three of them were similarly covered. Kim, at least, had some degree of comfort considering the more advanced internal climate controls Wade had built into her suit. Of course, that didn't do anything about the rainbow of smells coming from the putrefied vegetation (and other assorted muck.)

"What else was I supposed to think? I was right, wasn't I?" she asked, wiping her sweat streaked hair from her face once more.

"Well, sorta, but not really. It wasn't Yori that brought you here, after all, so I don't think it was the real Yori who kidnapped me either. I'm just saying, flying all the way to Japan based on a tiny scrap of clothe? I hate to sound like Wade, but man, you're really jumping to conclusions there, KP."

"I was not jumping to conclusions, I was following the evidence I had. Like I said, I'm here right now, aren't I?" for the hundredth or so time she pushed a long lock of hair from her eyes. She was so going to get it all cut back to its old length when she got back home.

Except that was the problem. How exactly were they going to get back home? She had no idea how to get back to her point of arrival and even if she did was it even possible to return that way? What had become of the girl who had been magically posing as Yori? She had been in a near panic when she had flown to Ron's rescue and hadn't even looked where she was going or where she had been, though to her eyes the whole jungle was just one big homogenous blob of unholy wet green.

Their predicament still didn't keep her from taking mental notes about things like the fact her small feet were sinking quite easily in the muck, making their progress difficult, well, at least hers. The huge bottoms of the oversized armored boots the two men were wearing were actually far more appropriate for the conditions. Maybe Wade could juice the morphing technology to create a wider, knobbier tread for conditions like this.

Ron took her hand, twining his fingers with hers, a process made a little more difficult by the segmented gauntlet he was wearing. He had to be delicate with her small fingers, but she appreciated the gesture anyway. Her own gloves kept the metal edges from digging in. "I'm glad you're here, KP. I just worry that you're reading more into Yori than you need to. The last time I saw her she barely had two words to speak to me, and now you tell me Sensei thinks she's betrayed them."

"I'm not so sure about that, Ron. He said he had been talking to an old woman about you and me…"

"Oh, Master Lunch Lady? She's harmless, though if you ever want a really effective diet program…"

"No, Ron. It wasn't somebody from his school he was talking about, I'm sure it was the Blessed Mother. Somehow I think Sensei is involved in all of this and perhaps what he told me about Yori was part of a bigger plan. All I know right now is that part of her clothing was in our home, a fact which has been confirmed both by Wade and by Sensei, she's missing and so is the Lotus Blade."

"That makes sense, I think. She's supposed to be the "Keeper of the Blade" or something, maybe she grabbed it to keep it safe from someone. For all we know Monkey Fist could be back in the game. After all, I did return his Monkey Kung-Fu powers."

"I thought of that, but Wade seemed to think he was still holed up in DNAmy's gorilla fortress."

"Don't tell me he has him chipped too."

"Actually, MI6 did that when he was in the London hospital. They put a chip into him that would send out a special signal if he ever found it and removed it, so he's pretty confident that he's still there. But no, I'm not freaked out about Yori any more when it comes to you."

"But you still dropped everything and flew all the way to Japan."

"Since when has that been an issue for us? I've got the Tweebs and Joss pulled in on this, I was following up the one lead I had. I was going to confront her and find out what I could, if that was a dead end I would have gone home and followed up on whatever the rest of the team turned up. It makes perfect sense to me."

"I guess you're right. Just kind of bugs me is all. Plus something the fake Yori said to me has really been bugging me."

"What?"

"Well, she repeated something to me that only Yori, Rufus and me know about."

"Oh, really?" She said, keen interest suddenly apparent in her expression.

Ron caught the look. "Nothing personal, it's just when I was freaking out over that cafeteria ghost thing that turned out to be Sensei, she popped up in my house, right after I barred the door and blocked it with heavy furniture."

"And you screamed." She said as if it was a guaranteed fact.

"No…yes." He said, a little to defensively. "I told her I was practicing my 'screams of courage.'"

"Let me guess, the fake surprised you and you screamed again?"

"Well, yeah. Then she asked me if I was still practicing. I thought at first it really was her. KP, I've never even told you about that. It was just…embarrassing. If it wasn't for Rufus…"

"…Kim? Where's Rufus?"

"Ron, I…I don't know. He wasn't in the house. We all figured he might have been with you, hiding until he got the chance to help somehow."

He stopped and leaned on a tree for support. All of the joy and hope that had been on his face since Kim arrived seemed to be gone.

"Is something wrong?" Sagan asked in Arkonian, catching up to the couple. Despite his inability to understand a word of their conversation, he had been keeping a respectful distance, basically keeping an eye on them lest some hidden danger miss their apparently good senses.

"We're still missing a member of our family." Kim told him, still amazed she could now speak and understand the language. Was that something that had been done to her when she was transported here? Ron could speak it now as well, did that indicate he was brought here by similar means?

Or was that part of their new powers?

That made her think again about what had become of her. Since changing back to normal she had not been able to recreate the conditions that caused her to change in the first place. She hoped it would not take such dire circumstances as it had the first time. The fight they were headed for would certainly benefit from a super-strong, seemingly invulnerable warrior.

Yet, there was a teensy bit of selfishness in her that would rather be stuck in her normal form than the other.

"If this family member is a tenth the warrior you and your mate are, then you should have little to worry about, and it they have met their end, it will have been with honor."

"Right now I don't care about honor. Rufus has been with me for ten years. He may be getting a little old now, but I don't want him to 'meet his end' I want him here with me, riding in my pocket." He turned away from them, adding, "If I even actually had pockets in this blasted thing." His head low, he started down the trail again, hopping from tree root to tree root to avoid the bog they were traversing.

"I meant no disrespect. I did not realize you were speaking of a beloved pet."

"Not pet, Sagan. Like Kim said, he's family, always has been." He said without turning his head, holding back a sob.

The large warrior spoke in a tone that surprised both humans. "This Ru'faas sounds much like my K'thra, Ch'ii'pae." Seeing their confusion he elaborated, "A K'thra is a kind of semi-sentient insect-like creature with segmented arms and legs but is shaped a little like a man. They are so big." He held his hands about two feet apart. "Ch'ii'pae was part of a program one of our scholars started, believing he could train them to fight like the Tai Sur. He eventually surrounded himself with those he was able to train in this manner, calling himself a K'thra Master, as he himself was skilled in the discipline.

"Some years ago he got a notion that he could not only train these creatures, he could also tap into a legendary mystical power associated with them. Most thought him crazy at first, until his real intentions became clear. I do not know whether any of his beliefs were true, but he amassed enough power to make a play for control of Tor El Ka. He was eventually defeated by a young pair of mated warriors. Once he was dealt with, most of his trained K'thra were destroyed, but I took Ch'ii'pae in and he lived with me for twenty years, living many years longer than his kind normally do. So, when I speak of such a creature as a beloved pet, it is with the utmost respect to the devotion of a bond-creature with it's person I speak of."

Both the young humans had stopped in their tracks, staring wide-eyed at the tall Torellian.

"It can't be." Ron whispered finally.

"What?" the alien asked.

"This Tai Sur discipline you mentioned, what is it?" Kim asked in return.

"It is one of the three disciplines of a warrior. There is the Tragda, the Tai and the Cor'zan. All warriors are trained as the Tragda, the way of the blade. We are raised from the time we can stand on our own to use a sword. Few warriors follow the other disciplines. Where the Tragda are the warriors of the sword, the Tai Sur are the warriors of the hand. They train their bodies to become weapons, though they certainly do not eschew the use of a blade or other hand-to-hand weapon."

"So, what you're saying, they are more heavily trained in unarmed combat?" Ron queried.

"Exactly. That, and the use of stealth. It is because of that most warriors think of it as an inferior discipline. The Tai Sur do not wear armor as a common warrior would. They believe it weighs them down, steals their ability to remain silent…Is there something wrong?"

"Only that we've just hit the mother-lode of freaky coincidences." Ron said, his look of bewilderment still evident on his face. He then launched into a condensed version of his knowledge of Ninjitsu, Tai Xing Pek Kwah, Lord Monkey Fist and his Monkey Ninjas.

"He even had one monkey named Chippie, which, for the life of me, is exactly what your sound like you're saying when you say your old friend's name. Next thing you'll tell me is that Cor…whatever that third thing you mentioned, means 'heart.'"

"That is precisely what it means. The Cor'zan Sur train their body and mind to tap into energies beyond the physical world. They are mostly mythical, no one has studied those arts this century."

Kim and Ron looked at each other, shaking their heads. _The Sword, the Hand and the Heart_, they were too much of a coincidence. They said as much to Sagan.

He took off his helmet, a gesture Ron now understood as one of utter and complete trust in the people he was speaking to. "Look upon me, humans. I have known that the Arkonians know many of the same things my people do. Now I find that your world, who, besides the two of you, are unaware of our people, have much the same again. That is indeed too much for mere coincidence. There is a connection. How else would you explain that all of us walk on two legs, hold our swords with two hands, look upon each other with two eyes. We are too much alike to have come into the world like this without somehow being related. You are so much like the Arkonians that beyond your speech, I cannot tell you from them. Ron Stoppable, I look at you and I see a man, just as I would call myself. We may not have been born under the same stars but we are indeed brothers. That is why I put my life on the line for the Vershaltians, that is why I aid you today to save them.

"I will also tell you, Ron Stoppable, take solace. If the bond you share with your animal is true, then he is well. You would know in your heart if he had truly come to harm. I knew the hour and the minute that Ch'ii'pae passed on, though I was on another world at the time." He put a great hand on Ron's shoulder. "I think you know this to be true of your Ru'faas."

He nodded, looking in the elder warriors pale eyes, knowing he spoke the truth. "You're right. I just can't help but worry about him. He's done so much for us, he's even saved our lives on countless occasions."

"Then let us honor him and his valor this day. I will stand with you as Ru'faas would and you shall stand with me as Ch'ii'pae once did." He held his free hand up to Ron, his fist open. Ron put his hand in Sagan's.

"I've got your back." He said.

"And I've got your back too." Kim said, putting her hand with theirs.

"The rest of those Bucket-heads won't know what hit them." Ron said with a smirk. "No offense, Sagan."

"None taken." He laughed heartily, Bucket-head being an Arkonian's favorite taunt directed at his people.

They resumed their trek through the swampy terrain, though now Ron seemed to have a great deal more spring in his step.

Sagan regarded the young warrior. At least now he had a better understanding of the man. What he had seen in that arena surprised him beyond all meaning, and he was not thinking of his mate's arrival as some sort of Silver Knight from the skies. He had never seen a human wield a Torellian battle sword with such skill. The fact the boy had once been exposed to warrior magic did go some way to explaining it, though he was not sure how.

He marveled at the boy…no, he must not think of him as a boy. It is not his age that made him think so, it was only his size. He was not a boy among his people, he was a man, and had been for some time though his people might not have seen it. Speaking with him, both before the Arena and afterward he came to respect him. He had become a great, brave warrior among his people, yet he seemed to retain a sort of childlike wonder. He could not explain how the young man could have struck such a balance, but it was something his warrior heart longed for.

He was also astounding by what they were attempting to do. He attempted to explain what Den Taag's forces would do once the deadline had passed. If they were facing other Torellians, an army would march there on foot, the first wave armed only with their ceremonial swords. It was only when the first battle was over that more modern weapons would be brought to bear. There was much pomp and ceremony in battle between like foes.

Since the colony was human, they would be offered no such honor. Sagan knew the governor and knew him well. He would likely try to do as much insult to his enemy as he possibly could. That meant, at least to the old general, he would likely send a mechanized force rather than foot troops.

It was late the previous day they discovered he was right.

Marching through the jungle was an army of Torellian Combat Droids, or, as the Arkonians called the, Torelloids. They were the same battle-robots that had come for them in the arena, only this time there were hundreds of them. Two hundred or so humans armed only with light weapons meant mainly for hunting would not stand a chance.

Yet, somehow, the fact they were facing an army of fifteen foot tall, armor plated killing machines seemed to brighten the mood of the pair.

"They even look a little like Drakken's Destructo-Bots." Ron said, though Sagan had no idea what a Drakken was.

"How are they controlled?" Kim asked.

"They begin a battle under the central direction of a control craft, but they are capable of independent combat decisions once the battle is joined, so long as it is in keeping with their programmed orders."

"So we take out the controller, they can still carry the fight on." She stated.

"Yes. In fact, it would likely be more dangerous to do that. These robots have no remorse, no fear. They will fight until the very last one is destroyed unless they are ordered to stop."

"That give me an idea." Kim said.

"Unfortunately, simply defeating the robot army will not be a permanent solution. Den Taag is proceeding this way because he does not expect any kind of resistance. He has the entire Troxxite garrison at his disposal, and since he carries the seal of the Emperor, he can call on more troops if he has to in order to 'enforce the Emperor's will.' That means if his Torelloids fail, he will send in regular troops. We cannot hope to stop such a force, no matter how much skill three warriors possess. Even if that were to fail, he would simply have a battle cruiser obliterate the colony from orbit. With no real defenses, Vershaltia is eventually doomed."

They trudged in silence for a while, mulling that thought. Kim and Ron switched back to English, falling behind their guide as they considered their options.

"We have to win this the first time out." She said. "I can deal with wiping out an army of robots, but I don't want to be in a position where we have to start fighting real people. I'm not going to kill anyone, it's that simple."

"What if it means saving those people's lives."

"I just don't want it to come to that. We have to take out the robots, then we have to do something about the colony so they don't have to worry about and army marching here."

"How are we going to do that, KP? Fly everyone right out of here?"

She looked at him, amazed. It really was that simple. She called up to Sagan. "Is there any way we can find transportation for these people?"

He stopped and waited for them to catch up to him. "Am I to understand you wish to spirit them away?"

"That's the only solution I can think of. I know these people might not want to give up their homes, but if this is the only way to save them…"

"Yes, I think this idea has merit, but to do this, I will have to take my leave of you."

"You have something in mind?" Ron asked.

"I believe so, but I will have to hurry."

"Okay, do what you have to."

"Good luck, Golden Warrior and Silver Knight!" Sagan saluted them, and sprinted off into the dusky gloom.

Ron watched as the hulking warrior disappeared from view. "Did he just call us what I think he did?"

"I think so." She said, remembering the characters from Ron's cartoon show.

They trudged on, Ron wearing a goofy grin as Kim explained her plan.


	16. Surprising Attraction

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 16: Surprising Attraction**

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Arcus Corrin sat on her perch, high up on a hill overlooking the modest city of Middleton Colorado, regarding it with a jaundiced eye. She was tiring of the form she had taken in her Master's service and was ready to be quit of this place, to return to her more proper function as the chief of his Gatherers. She was aware these people would consider the shape she had assumed to be pretty, even beautiful, but it was not hers. She was beautiful in her own right, with long, golden hair, large, blazing turquoise eyes and a body that would have been considered perfect for the production of many fine sons if she had ever seen fit to take a consort.

Instead her magic had turned her porcelain skin to a darker, golden hue, her aqua eyes brown almost to the point of being black. Her hair was now short, also nearly black and her body, while still rounded and feminine, was frightfully skinny by her standards. Because she had used powerful spells to accomplish the disguise, it was no mere illusion she could cast aside at will. Her body had actually changed and she would not change back until the mission was complete.

Now that mission was in jeopardy.

Corrin winced when her Master instructed her on his wishes. The items he wanted the Gatherers to bring to him were easy enough to acquire. She could have all of them within a week and none of their owners would have even suspected they were gone until they were safely within the walls of the Master's Palace. Only he would not make her job so simple. The task must be accomplished with a very particular pair of Gatherers, clones he had placed in her tutelage only one year prior. They were good, with the potential to be the very best of her fold, but they did not yet have the experience they needed, especially in such an alien situation.

Their first failure was at the Yamanuchi School. Despite all their careful planning, one misstep led to their discovery and their target was taken into hiding. Fools! She could have been in and out of there herself and none of the students or their masters would have been the wiser. Their failure was compounded when she realized they were now being traced by the very ninja who had detected them.

She planned to instruct the pair later on the full meaning of their failures, but that would have to wait. It was now time to lay a trap for this interloper, one she would spring herself. The Gatherers were sent to take a particular item from a specific home, and it was here the ninja would strike at them. As the Gatherers made their way into the home she set her trap.

All too easily the ninja fell under her spell. She took her form, then she took her memories, leaving her unharmed, as the spell called for, but unconscious. She was about to leave when she opened her mind to the stolen thoughts, intending a quick perusal in case there was anything she might use in her quest. What she learned frightened her very badly. Almost to the point she did not see the second ninja approaching. It was only by sheer luck she was able to cast her snaring spell once more. She looked at her new prey and gasped.

There had been two of them. Not just two ninjas, but two of the very same shadow warrior, two of the exact same woman, the woman whose form she had just taken.

Her mind awhirl with what she had learned from the first, she bent to read the memories of this second one. Again she was surprised by what she learned. Surprised that this second woman's mind was prepared for just such an intrusion. She was only able to glean the barest of things from it, only what had been foremost on her mind when she had been struck down.

She had been thinking of the same blonde haired Terran the first had been. A man the first had come to this home looking for, seeking him to both tempt him and test him, to take him before the teachers of the Tragda Sur. She regarded both of her victims. One a copy of the other, sent to trick the man into following her, to attempt to seduce him so that his bond to a Soulmate could be tested.

Knowing what the man truly was, she could use that information to her advantage, even more so with the other details she had taken from the real woman, this…Yori. Acting quickly, she sent a mental call to her Gatherers. In moments they had abandoned their theft, reporting that the man she sought was indeed in the home and was up and about.

"Dispose of this." She pointed to the first prostrate woman. The hastened to comply. Minutes later she could feel herself changing, the form she had stolen fading away as the life that maintained it faded. It mattered not, now she could take the more perfect form of the original, despite the continued frustration of the mystically shuttered mind. No matter, she had what she needed.

The capture of the Sword of the Effurien was far, far easier than she could have imagined. How could this be the fabled master swordsman who would rise to challenge her Master? She started imagining how he would reward her for disposing of him so quickly so easily. He made a wonderful gift for one of her lovers, the Torellian Governor, Darkoth Den Taag.

Then her plan took a turn for the worse. She did not count on the persistence of the real Yori. Perhaps she should have disposed of her instead of the Blessed Mother's acolyte. The Gatherers went on to their next target while she returned to Arkonia bearing their latest acquisitions, including the small blue electronic device that had been stored in the home. By the time she returned to Earth, she learned the horrible truth.

The cloned Gatherers had been captured.

Never before had that happened. This was the result of sending two with such little experience into a place like this, where all the variables could not be quickly taken into account. She would be the one who must answer for this failure.

But first, the next step of her mission was clear. She had to eliminate the clones.

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Joss stared at the raven hairedolder woman with narrowed eyes, Rufus on her shoulder copying her glare. He didn't like the woman, and would never like her despite both Kim and his Ron warming up to her, even slightly. He understood what she was all too well and he did not forgive so easily. 

Sherry simply returned the glare with a wicked smirk as she made herself at home on the ready-room's couch, stretching her arms out on the cushions and crossing her legs. "Careful, there, Cowgirl. Don't want to pop a blood vessel and ruin those pretty eyes."

"You seem awful comfortable when all it'll take is one a these people here to snap their fingers and you'll be sittin in a cell for the rest of your life, Shego." She responded in a low, dangerous voice.

"Oh, like any of these GJ goons care the first thing about me any more. Get a clue, Rawhide, I'm a good girl now, so they don't give a naked mole rat's behind about me any more." To demonstrate her point, she blew a kiss at one of the guards assigned to keep an eye on her while they waited.

"Hey-ey!" Rufus squeaked, growling at the black-haired woman, not quite sure why he was being substituted for the traditional 'rat's ass'.

"Good girl my sweet Montana butt. Say what you will, I just think yer hidin behind that little girl of yours till the heats off of ya. Don't forget, I've seen the real you and it ain't no good girl."

Sherry's back went rigid at the mention of Amethyst. All traces of humor went out of her eyes as she looked at her daughter, then Kim's younger cousin. "You listen to me and listen to me good, cowgirl. I am not hiding behind her. I changed who and what I am so she could have a chance at a normal life, got that?"

"Bucket a cow patties." Joss replied, crossing her arms and renewing her glare. "Still don't know why Kim still doesn't open a big old can a whoopin on you for all the trouble you've caused her."

"Maybe because she saw the writing on the wall. We went at it for years and she wasn't able to put me down for good."

"Nice choice of words there Shego. I'm gonna have to remember that when it does come time to 'put you down.'"

"Any time, any place, Rawhide. You may think you're the hot stuff right now, but you don't hold a candle to the Princess. To me you're nothing but a street brawler with fancy gadgets. Oh, but that's right, you're just the 'B' team anyway, you can't do anything unless you get word from Kimmie first."

Joss started to draw back her fist until a firm but gentle hand gripped her shoulder. Her head whipped around, her eyes locking with Yori's. The Japanese woman simply shook her head, nodding toward the child nearby, obliviously playing with a small pile of Cuddlebuddies.

"I guess I figured right you were the smarter one here, Ninja." She said, her smug grin returning.

"Make no mistake, Lipsky-san. Though I have never met you before I know who you are and what you have done. Do not throw your good fortune that some people I have a great deal of respect for have done you the honor of giving you a second chance back in our face. You have the good sense to choose a better path for the sake of your child. Do not waste that. It is a precious gift."

Sherry sat back on the couch, her smile gone. The Possible cousin she knew instinctively she could take, and it wouldn't even require her glow power either. The kid was smart, resourceful and apparently a pretty good scrapper, but she wasn't on par with the Princess. Grit and determination would only take you so far.

The Ninja, on the other hand, was a different matter. Sherry had been trained in the art of Ninjitsu, but never formally and never completely. Her early masters had seen the promise in her, but they could also sense the darkness growing within her. Amazing that people who were essentially assassins would be worried that their art could possibly be used for evil. She was good, having learned all she could before being turned away, good enough to know that a real ninja, one who had been trained since early childhood, could most likely mop the floor with her without breaking a sweat.

That made her stop and consider. _Why was she thinking like this?_ What good could possibly come from antagonizing the cowgirl? Was it just the fact she looked so much like Kimmie did back then? Sure, her hair was darker and she seemed to be going out of her way to dress differently, but the resemblance was striking. At least until she opened her mouth and that shrill western twang came out. Maybe it was just the girl. After all, she was the one who had been glaring daggers at her ever since the Lipskys had shown up at Dr. Director's behest. If the cowgirl wanted to start something, well, she was going to be the one in the wrong. Sherry and her husband had been, for all intents and purposes, been granted safe passage into the stronghold of their enemy to parlay.

Yori watched the contest of wills between the two women with a mix of interest and wonder. The depth of the enmity from Possible-san was surprising, considering the young woman had only actually met Sherry "Shego" Lipsky on two occasions, one of them being Stoppable-san's wedding. During their flight from Arizona their conversation had drifted to the subject of the former villainess. One fact about the first encounter seemed to stick out. Shego had threatened Stoppable-san's life and it was Joss Possible-san who had saved him. Perhaps the girl did have more feelings for her cousin-in-law than she cared to admit. Perhaps that colored her perception of Lipsky-san.

To her, she could barely reconcile the woman she had just now met for the first time with the files she had read in the past. Certainly she looked like the woman, save her coloration, but instead of a petty, sarcastic petulant woman she came off more as an intensely protective mother who seemed to be uncomfortable around many people. Not having met her in combat, she had only her first impression to go by and that was not nearly as strong as Possible-san's apparent feelings.

Yori was having a hard time sorting through her feelings at the moment, feelings that were surprising, in fact shocking and actually quite frightening to her. The feelings were…alien. Curiosity, intrigue even desire filled her, feelings she once thought were only awakened, however briefly, by Stoppable-san, only this time is was not the slightly built blonde boy she saw in her mind's eye causing these feelings. In fact, this was from someone who was almost his polar opposite, save for the fact they had the same inner goodness.

He was tall, taller even than she would have expected. She had always seen him only on a small screen, always seated. She had no idea that he was now over six feet tall and apparently still growing. He had a broad chest that held the promise of even greater breadth in the future, natural muscles beginning to grow there. His skin was darker than hers, a light cocoa hue that she never once would have suspected she would find appealing. He did have one feature in common with Stoppable-san, his face still had a smattering of freckles, like bits of dark chocolate on his cocoa skin. He had a fine, neatly trimmed beard on his chin and his hair had been braided into neat cornrows.

She had never even begun to think this when she saw him as a child on Kim Stoppable-san's Kimmunicator, nor over the last couple days on Possible-san's, but when she came face to face with Load-san as they arrived at the Global Justice Headquarters she looked him straight in the eye and her breath was taken away.

He was nothing like what she thought she wanted in a man, and that is what shocked and frightened her but she couldn't get his face out of her mind. His face _and_ his body. She had the strongest urge to kiss him, not on the cheek, but full on the lips. She had the urge to wrap her arms around his bulky torso, just to feel how much muscle he actually had under his soft-looking exterior.

Her thoughts were not demure, not lady-like and that frightened her as well. She had to keep reminding herself that he was just seventeen!

_No! That should not matter! I am only twenty-two and if a relationship is possible with Load-san…_

It occurred to her that she was actually, honestly thinking about what a relationship with him would be like. Here she was, now on a mission to find out what had become of the Stoppables, thinking about dating a man she had spoken perhaps two words to face to face.

Yori had learned her lesson. When this was over she was going to say something to Load-san. For all she knew he had a girlfriend, or at least someone he was interested in, but she would not take the chance again by simply sending out signals. Ron had slipped through her fingers, that would not happen again.

* * *

Wade was having a tough time concentrating. He had been locked in a conversation with, of all people, Doctor Drakken for the better part of three hours now. That in itself was not only surprising, it was a revelation. He always thought of the mad scientist as being somewhat of a buffoon (ironic that was his favorite insult directed at Ron) and not incredibly bright. Speaking to him as one scientist to another, however, he discovered the man was actually quite brilliant. 

Still stark raving mad, but quite brilliant.

They had launched into a discussion first about the nature of the clones they now had in custody. Drakken poured over the data he was provided, looking at the genome, comparing it to base samples. He asked valid and concise questions before confirming the conclusion Wade and the GJ scientists had already come to. Yes, these clones were created using his samples. Yes, they were in fact clones of other clones, not created directly from the original, raw samples taken from Ron and Kim Stoppable. In fact, the "Kim" clone seemed to have gone through several more iterations than the "Ron" clone had, with signs of slight modifications to parts of the genome related to behavior. Specifically those that were theorized to deal with things like independent spirit and the like.

That fact alone was quite frightening.

As the conversation progressed, Wade started noticing something about Drakken. The more they spoke, the more he seemed to relax and the more relaxed he became, the more he seemed just like any other man of science. Doctor Drakken, Mad Scientist slowly morphed into Drew Lipsky, Research Scientist. Was that all it took? Just to recognize the man and show him a certain degree of respect for his knowledge? No, it had to be more complicated than that and after all, the man had actually come very close to taking over the world. He was too dangerous and capable of too much evil just to rely on some pop-psychology (actually, Wade had several minors in clinical psychology, but never truly focused on that aspect of his education.)

Wade couldn't concentrate because there was a face dominating his mind. This was something that had never happened to him before. Sure, he was like any normal, red-blooded teen-aged male, but he had never before become obsessed with any one girl. Yes, he had harbored a crush on one particular girl for many years now, but he never had any illusions that those feelings might be returned. After all, he had been reading her diary for years and had guessed long before she had who her heart belonged to, even though when it finally happened he had been taken completely by surprise.

This was different. Different and shocking. He couldn't quite get his mind around it. He knew who she was, had seen her picture a hundred times in his files and speaking to him over the Kimmunicator. That had never affected him like this, yet seeing her face to face, watching her climb down from the hoverjet, her body wrapped in tight denim, cut so low he could see the slight hollows of her hips disappearing into the faded blue cotton, the taught roundness of her golden colored tummy, her almond shaped eyes, her shoulder length hair caught up in a red band. The sight of her upper body, bare save for a lacy crop-top tank with something even lacier peaking through.

His whole body was on fire just looking at her, and then their eyes met. Wade never believed in love at first sight. He was too much of a scientist to. Love was something that came gradually, it had to be built up. What most people thought of as instant love was merely just lust, the animal craving caused by visual and sometimes chemical cues.

That kind of knowledge was all fine and dandy until it actually happened.

Wade found himself counting the minutes until this meeting was over so he could go back out into the ready-room, just to look at her again. To dream of kissing those nice rounded lips of hers, to put his hands on her tiny waist and draw her close. He wanted to kiss her like Ron and Kim kissed, even though the prospect was utterly and totally alien to his experience. It caused fear to well in him, threatening a return of the crippling Agoraphobia he had felt most of his young life. Yet he had to do something, anything.

Then he had the oddest thought that once again he was crushing on a woman who had given her heart to Ron. Was that wrong, even though Ron had rejected Yori? How could it be wrong, Ron had not only rejected Yori, he had actually never shown any real interest in her, his heart was so dominated by Kim. Somehow he had to drag his mind back to the task at hand. Ron and Kim were missing, that was what was important.

Not a golden-skinned Japanese woman. Not an adult woman who shouldn't have anything to do with a seventeen year old who had the social skills of a hermit. Not teen-aged hormones that were suddenly fully awakened for the first time.

Then Drakken asked everyone but Wade to leave the room, managing to pull his attention back where he felt it belonged. Grudgingly, Doctor Director and her staff agreed, also agreeing to turn off all the surveillance in the room, a fact Drakken asked Wade to confirm as soon as they were gone.

He stared almost dispassionately across the table at Wade, his hands clasped in front of him. The sight was surreal, Drakken sitting there as if he were an ordinary person in some boring business meeting, dressed in a normal white shirt, wearing a dark blue tie. If it were not for his light blue skin and 'baby mullet' he would have looked like any other late 40s, early 50s man in the world.

"Okay, Doctor, we're alone. You're got my full attention."

"Er, yes, Dr. Load. I think I may have an idea what is actually going on."

Wade gave him a look that said _go on_.

"I think your conjecture that the stolen items have more to do with their relationship than the inherent danger represented by some of those items alone is valid. The single most dangerous thing they have captured is the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, but I do not believe they intend to use it. In fact, I do not think they intend to use any of these items for their proper purpose.

"Every single item stolen was at some point recovered by Kimberly Anne and her sidekick…"

"Doctor, I know you know his name."

"Yes, but to be precise, that was their relationship when these particular items were recovered. As I was saying, that is the only real connection between them. Even I cannot see a potential use for the Vortex Inducer combined with items like a device for growing chitin on insects or…(shudder)…Moodulators."

Wade nodded. If there was anyone else on Earth who knew the devastating effects of the hyper mood enhancers it was Doctor Drakken. The man probably still had scars!

"Dr. Load."

"Wade. I really don't like people calling me doctor."

"Very well, Wade, I know you are like me, a man of science, but do you believe in magic?"

"I believe in what I've seen. Things like an amulet that changed Kim into a monkey…"

"Oh, I bet that was interesting." Drakken grinned.

"Riiiight. Anyway, I've seen things that science, as I understand it, can't explain. That doesn't mean it isn't real, it only means we currently lack a full understanding of what is actually going on."

"Good. Then you won't freak out when I do this."

Wade watched him. Drakken didn't move a muscle or look like he was about to do anything that might 'freak' him out. He still jumped a little when it happened.

Drakken's blue skin slowly changed, fading first to almost white before blooming into a healthy, if slightly pale color. Right in front of his eyes he turned back into Drew Lipsky, save for the fact there was less hair and a lot more forehead than when he first struck out as a mad scientist.

"So you've found out how to tap into Sherry's ability to change back to normal?"

"No. Her ability was given to her using powers granted to her by the biological father of our daughter. Her change is completely physical, while mine, unfortunately, remains somewhat illusory."

"So you're still blue, I just see you as normal."

"Correct."

"What does that have to do with the stolen items or Kim and Ron?"

"The same text which taught me how to do this also hints at what may be at work here. The details are not complete, but I can infer a lot based on my translations of the book. I fear someone or something is trying to create a dimensional portal."

"Isn't that what the Vortex Inducer is for?" Wade asked.

"Not in this case. The Vortex Inducer is designed to function between what we would consider physical planes of existence. By itself, I do not think it is capable of creating the portal they wish to. For that they would need, for lack of a better term, magic."

"So you're saying they need certain objects with a particular relationship in order to create the portal?"

"Not only the objects, but the key to those objects. That may, in itself, be the reason for the clones, or it could be the reason the Stoppables have disappeared. The spell I am thinking of could possibly work if they had these doppelgangers 'recover' the items, just as they were recovered before, basically serving as reasonable facsimiles of the original."

"Unless they actually have their hands on the originals themselves!" Wade gasped.

"By my estimation, they need fifteen objects for the spell to work. How many items are missing?"

"If they had gotten away with the Moodulators, that would have been fourteen confirmed items. The Lotus Blade Yori is carrying would have been an even fifteen." Wade explained.

"This is not good. There is every possibility they already have enough. We have no way of knowing if they have more than we are even aware of. If they have Kimberly and Ronald then it may already be too late."

"You said they wanted to open a portal, what kind of portal?"

"You see, Wade, that is the problem. They want to break into a sealed dimension created specifically as a prison of sorts, a prison for an evil so bad, so heinous it makes Shego and me seem like saints.

"They want to free demons who have been sealed away for over two thousand years."

* * *

Yori's eyes lit up as the conference room door finally opened. Drakken was the first out, going directly to his wife whose whole demeanor changed as he emerged. Then Wade came out and the first thing he did was look directly at her. Their eyes met and he seemed to have a shocked expression on his face. Then he screwed up his courage and crossed the room toward her. 

"Y…Yori, uh, I, uh, we have a lot of work to do, but, I , uh, I'm kind of hungry…wouldyouliketocomedowntothecommisarywithmeforaquickbitetoeat?"

"I would be honored to, Wade-san" She said, her smile lightening up the whole room.


	17. Rumble in the Jungle

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 17: Rumble in the Jungle**

* * *

The column of fifteen foot tall combat droids marched through the jungle, two abreast. Normally they would have been swathed in a temporary coating of muted shades of green and brown and they would have been spread out in the veldt, but today their target had no airborne spy-balls. There would be no artillery to welcome them. Their internal AIs had the same confidence their commanders had. They would simply encircle the village of the puny humans and open fire until there was nothing left within their ring of death. No, they had no need of any camouflage or special tactics on this day. This was not a military operation, it was a simple extermination. 

If the officers that commanded them had not feeling for their victims, why should they? As if they were capable of them anyway.

The lead unit was conserving its power, just as the other ninety-nine of its brethren were doing as they marched. It only had enough sensors active to remain on the path, itself an old road worn by the animal powered vehicles used by the wretches they had been sent to eradicate. It didn't have to even engage its partially biological central processor to march like this. Smaller processors in it's roughly humanoid exoskeleton took care of mundane tasks like walking. It would 'wake up' more fully once the attack was under way.

Occasionally an obstacle would confront it that could not be simply stepped over, such as a large log blocking its path or a bog that had claimed part of the road. It took only a tiny bit of its brain power to decide what to do with the problem and it would either take care of it or the units following would simply emulate what it had done to avoid it. That was until it was presented with a more unusual situation than it would have normally expected.

Running into a lone human was a possibility. They did have to hunt to feed their families as the intelligence suggested. That would not have been a problem, just another human dealt with before they reached the main target. This was somehow different, causing confusion to register for a moment as its brain geared up to consider the problem.

There was an individual standing in the middle of the road, holding his hand up as if he could command the whole column to stop. It was not the brazen act alone that caused the hulking machine to pause, it was the whole confusing image.

Electronic eyes scanned the figure. It was wearing Torellian combat armor and holding a large officer's type sword, it's tip resting on the wet mud of the path. Only, it did not seem to be a Torellian. He was too small by a considerable margin, his head crowned with a mop of yellow fur instead a proper helmet. It's face was also covered by several days growth of fur, something that never occurred on a Torellian male.

Conclusion – its path was blocked by a lone human dressed and armed as if he were a Torellian. Once it reached that point (in the space of three seconds) its orders took over. It was no longer necessary to consider the ramifications of a human dressed as if he were a proper warrior. One arm came up, the gatling cannon already charging.

Ron stood his ground as long as he could. Sweat was beading in his hairline and it had little to do with the massive humidity of the planet. Hold them here as long as possible, that was the plan.

Kim always seemed to have a plan, and for once he did not argue about being the distraction. He had matured to the point where he no longer worried about such distinctions when they went into action. He trusted her and he would follow her direction. After all, she was Kim Possible (no matter what her legal surname was now) and she could do anything!

That didn't keep him from questioning her plan, though.

"We've taken on armies of robots before, Ron. This should be old hat for us."

"Uh, yeah, except we don't have a sentient SUV to mow them down, I don't have a super-size Slurpster to pour in their central processors, we don't have Wade to hack into their systems and we don't have and electro-something-or-other made out of a toy dart gun to scramble their control signal this time. All we've got is your battle-suit and my sword."

"Wade might not be here in person," she said, taking her Kimmunicator off her wrist, "but he's here in spirit, er, well, in technology. Besides, we don't want to scramble their control signal."

"We don't?"

"No. Like Sagan said, these units can operate independently even without the control signal. We take that out and they still march right to the colony and blast it of the face of the planet."

"So we're back to square one, without the firepower we need to take them all out."

"If this works, we won't need the firepower, we'll have all we need right at our fingertips." She twisted the top of her bracelet, causing the band to snap open even further. Twin leaves opened on the bottom, revealing two tiny batteries half the size of a dime. She carefully dropped one of them out of the unit, closing the delicate looking hatch.

Her plan was dangerous, especially for him. Especially considering he was now facing down a three-ton death machine armed with twin gatling cannons and who knew what else.

Quicker than he expected, one of the killing machines weapons rose, drawing a bead on the brazen human blocking its path. It fired a staccato burst, obliterating everything in its path. There wasn't a lot of smoke and lasers actually did not cause things to explode unless the target itself was highly combustible, but it did sent up a great deal of mud and spray.

Once that cleared, Ron gave the Torelloid a charming wave, still leaning slightly on his sword. The metallic head betrayed no sign of rage, the eyes did not glow brighter, the body did not bristle. It merely fired another, longer volley at the yellow haired thing blocking the column's progress. It had now stopped its march, holding the entire group. The droid to its left joined, firing both of its weapons at him.

Fighting an urge to scream his accustomed battle-cry Ron Stoppable leaped from the high branch he had been hiding in. The sword spun above his head like a massive helicopter rotor, the energy field of the weapon now fully operational, powered by Kim's spare tri-lithium power cell. The blade plunged deeply into the junction between the head and the body of the next bot in the column, not quite separating it, but doing considerable damage.

Ron used his momentum to carry him up and over, flipping over the handle of his weapon as it momentarily caught in the armored exoskeleton of the battle-bot. The whole thing wrenched free as he sailed at the Torelloid behind it. He landed cat-like on it's shoulders. Without room to work his weapon into another attack-spin he plunged the tip into some of the exposed inner workings, sending a shower of sparks up at him, singing his newborn beard. In the space of a heartbeat he leaped away from the damaged robot, landing in a pool of stagnant water with a tremendous splash.

It all happened in the space of time it took the lead units to blast away ineffectively at the holographic image being projected by Kim's hidden Kimmunicator. By the time the atomized mud and water cleared this time, their attacker was long gone into the heavy foliage.

The holo-Ron waved once more, then disappeared.

* * *

About a mile back from the end of the column, a bored Torellian in green and orange armor scanned his console once more before turning his attention back to the road. His craft was saucer-like save for the two curved wings that drooped from the sides. There was a double barreled cannon mounted to a circular rail set just below the gravitational repulsers that kept it in the air. Two small turbofans propelled it along the road at an altitude of about forty feet, just high enough to clear most of the vegetation. 

He didn't want to be there, though that had nothing to do with his mission. He was like most of his comrades in Darkoth Den Taag's army, he had been indoctrinated in the superiority of his race over the smaller, weaker humans. Just as it was to the military governor, this was just an extermination, not even worthy of sending even the number of Torelloids he was charged with directing. In his opinion he didn't even need to be there. The pre-programmed attack would take care of the bulk of the colony. The stragglers he did not care about. They wouldn't live long in the jungle without the protection of their pitiful little village.

His attention was drawn as he heard a quick blast of laser fire in the distance. Instantly alert, he scanned his console once more. One of the lead units had fired its weapons. Seems the humans were out and about today, ranging a little further than normal from the confines of their so-called colony. Confident the combat droid had eradicated the human vermin, he slumped back into his chair. It didn't even take much effort to pilot the control-craft at this speed. Still, there was procedure to follow. He charged the twin cannon, though he didn't expect he would have to use it.

There was a second blast of gatling lasers, several of them this time. There must have been more of the pests out and about, perhaps a larger hunting party looking for greater supplements than their meager attempts at farming could provide. He might get a chance for some target practice after all. The droids were under orders to maintain formation until they reached their target, if the humans were able to get deep enough into the jungle they could circle back and warn the villagers. While an evacuation would make hunting down the bulk of the population a little more difficult, it was not a great problem. Still, it would look sloppy on his after-action report, so he started to hit the accelerators…right as an alarm went off on his console.

Two of the units had been taken off-line. How on Tor El Ka could that happen?

He was so engrossed in his readouts he did not here the sharp popping sound or see the tiny magnetic grappler attached to a slender line sail out of the canopy to strike the hull of his small craft, nor did he see the slender woman dressed in dark gray, long red hair trailing her as she rocketed up toward her, propelled by the retractor built into the arm of her battle-suit. He did, however, see the boot heel moment before it struck his helmeted head.

Unfortunately, a five foot five inch, one-hundred ten pound former cheerleader doesn't quite carry enough momentum to dislodge three hundred fifty pounds of muscular warrior and combat armor completely from his perch on the control craft. Years of training kicked in, reflexes allowing him to catch part of the small woman attacking him, deflecting the full force of her blow.

Kim sailed over the top, flipping partially as her kick changed her direction. The control craft passed beneath her and she was falling once more toward the muddy track. Her other hand came up, the second grappler cable firing, this time wrapping around the ringed track of the flyer's weapon.

This time she was moving too fast for the retractor to real her in. The cable went taught and she swung underneath, causing the craft to nearly tip over. Somehow her opponent was able to hang on. Her momentum took her up and over him once more and she released the cable at the apex of her flight.

This time her kick sent the Torellian sprawling over the side of the elliptical hull. Only a desperate grab with his gauntleted hand kept him from falling as Kim almost had just moments before. He hauled himself back up just in time to take an elbow to his face.

Kim gritted her teeth from the pain. It was one thing to throw an elbow into some goon's jaw, but these guys were wearing armor from head to toe and they were every bit as muscular as Jack Hench's best! If she hadn't been wearing her Kevlar-reinforced suit…

The warrior jumped at her, landing partially on top of her, trying to land a punch on her exposed head. Not having to hang on for dear life any longer, his free hand went for the short, broad sword grappled to his back. He never got the chance to free it. Blue light flared all around him and he felt himself forced instantly back, thrown off of her by a sphere of translucent blue energy.

Kim couldn't risk a look at the suit's power meter. The defense screens drained the cells built into her heels very quickly, but the short burst shouldn't have done too much damage. Despite the beating the suit had taken when she was in the Silver Knight form, it was still fully functional and she had gone into the fight with a full charge. It had been a snap decision to use one of its more active defensive capabilities as an offensive weapon. Apparently it worked. The warrior was sprawled out on the ground in a pool of mud, moaning.

She jumped into the seat, desperately trying to figure out the controls. After a couple false starts she managed to get the craft to land. Freeing the discarded cable, she tied the unconscious Torellian to a nearby tree, hoping he wasn't too badly injured by the fall.

Now for the fun part. She jumped back into the control-flyer and said a silent prayer that Wade was there in spirit after all. Grimly she pulled a control cable from her equipment belt and looked for something to plug into on the console.

* * *

Ron's luck was holding, at least so far. He was still in shock at the amount of damage he was able to do against the two Torelloids he had attacked but he couldn't let that distract him. As soon as he was out of sight he turned and watched as the weapons on the next pair of robots retracted, replaced with utilitarian clawed hands. The shoved the two damaged units aside and the column formed back up, less two members. 

He sure hoped Kim was doing okay. Even if he was able to take every one of the mechanical killers out, it would take longer than they had before they reached the village. By his estimation it would only take a dozen or so to level the place, considering the amount of firepower he had seen displayed.

Mild shock set in as the column started forward once more, as if his attack had never taken place. He had been expecting at least one or two of the metal terrors to come after him, especially after what he had accomplished with only an energy sword.

Carefully, he made his way back to the stand of trees where the Kimmunicator was hidden. It took a few minutes to find it, as it had been covered by the last spray of mud. He felt fortunate the emitter hadn't been covered too quickly, or the ruse wouldn't have lasted long enough for him to make his attack.

Something was wrong. The column should have halted by now if Kim was successful. They were only a few miles from the colony now. Perhaps that is why they didn't send pursuit. He didn't matter. Even if they didn't get lucky and tag him with their weapons, he could only take out maybe one or two more. Still, it may just be up to him to do it. He started swinging the massive sword once more, his finger ready on the energy field control. Maybe he could damage the legs of the lead units enough they would be forced to stop again.

He was just about to burst from cover when the first two robots suddenly went face down in the muck! At the same moment there was a shrill whistling sound followed by a horrible crunching sound further back in the column. Ron pulled up short, his curiosity overriding his growing battle skills.

A pair of massive tree trunks had swung out of the forest, smashing into a pair of the mechanized beasts. They stood a few moments more, then collapsed in a heap of burning, sparking metal.

He couldn't believe his eyes. At that point he was certain the jungle would be filled with three foot tall furry creatures, howling and blowing horns.

What he saw instead was a few dozen humans bursting from cover, darting between the clumsy Torelloids. He couldn't see any weapons, but from what he had been told, these people didn't have any. That didn't matter, the Torellians had terribly underestimated these people. They weren't cowering in their homes waiting for the end, they were defending them!

"BOOYAH!" he screamed, waving his sword as he charged the front line once more.

Built in survival instincts were starting to override programming. They may have been slow to react, but once a real and demonstrated danger became apparent, the orders went out the window. The battle-bots were switching to independent mode. Moments later multi barreled lasers started roaring to life. Chaos reigned as the column broke ranks, the droids making like oversized commandos, crouching as they ran on skeletonized metal legs, firing as they went whenever they could get a bead on the defending Vershaltians.

Howling partly like a banshee, mostly because of the terror he somehow had the strength to overcome, Ron plowed back into the fray, his sword flashing, trailing yellow plasma and bits of battle-bot. He was expecting the red haze to descend upon his vision at any moment. Somehow it didn't seem to be coming. Despite the frenzy, despite his heart racing like a champion horse, he could feel a sort of calm detachment, as if he were watching the battle through other eyes.

The Vershaltians were not as poorly armed as he first suspected. Several more Torelloids fell to the ground, thin but strong cables wrapped around their legs. Some of the cords broke, but enough held to trip them up. That didn't completely disable the beasts, as they were still able to fire at least one of their arm-mounted cannons from a prone position.

To his dismay, Ron could see the first of the human casualties. He gritted his teeth and ran back into the fray, slashing at one of the bots, cutting it off at the knee. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled and he cart-wheeled away from the blast from another droid that had gotten the drop on him.

_How did he do that? That's what KP would have done!_

Another droid fell to his sword. He came up short as he spotted two of the villagers cornered by one of the robots. It raised its weapon. They had nowhere to run.

Ron ran three steps and hurled his sword with all his might. It turned over in the air three times before embedding up to its hilt in the chest of the Torelloid. Despite the frozen features of the head, he thought he could detect surprise in its face as it tumbled to the ground. The villagers didn't even have a chance to acknowledge their savior as they scrambled away, looking for more chances to damage their attackers.

Breathing from exertion, Ron looked around him, his heart almost stopping.

He was surrounded. Three of the Torelloids had their weapons trained directly on him and this time he was unarmed, with no place to flee. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blast to come.

Nothing. Suddenly all he could hear were the shouts of the Vershaltians. The humming servos that propelled the robots fell silent. He could hear the crackling fires where some of them burned. Cautiously he opened one eye, then the other.

He was still surrounded by the three robots, but they had stopped, straightening up like soldiers at attention, their weapon laden arms now held at their sides with the barrels of their canons pointed at the ground.

Ron found he couldn't even shout his victory cry. He had once again come within a hair's breadth of dying. He dropped to his knees, the battle high rushing out of his body. Words escaped his lips that were not English or Arkonian. He had never been a very devout man when it came to his religion but down at his core he knew he believed. The prayers came, both in thanks that both these people and himself had been spared this day and a heartfelt prayer for the safety of his Soulmate.

He looked up at the sky, hearing the craft as it approached. He could feel hands clapping him on the shoulder. He could see a young man bringing his sword to him after freeing it from the wreckage of the robot. He could see all of that but he did not care.

All he cared for at that moment was the fire-haired beauty piloting the open-air flyer toward the village.

_Thank you_, he said first in Hebrew, then in English.

* * *

Tyrian Vershalt, descendant of the founders of his colony, could not believe his eyes. In desperation he had sent the strongest of his people to make a last ditch effort to stop the Torellian attack. He knew in his heart it was utterly futile to do so, but all agreed it was better to die fighting than cowering in their homes. It was clear the governor never intended for them to leave. It would have taken a single transport to take his people from this place. 

That didn't matter. This world was their home. They were no longer welcome in the place they had fled some two centuries earlier. They would either live here or die here. In the end they had chosen a path that true Torellians would honor.

Yet, in his wildest dreams, Tyrian did not expect to see what he was seeing today. A tall, blonde-haired warrior, dressed in golden armor, bearing only a sword had appeared in their midst, as if by magic. Softly he spoke the words he had been taught as a child.

_Ben corba den tenve noh yetnu, Tredo del Kiresmek ban Effurien de'l tengye ert Podondrin._

_Kiresmek ban Effurien._

He knew in his heart the man he saw, accepting his sword back from young Tyden, was indeed a Knight of the Effurien. Who else would come to save them in such a dark hour. He started toward the golden warrior as fast as his damaged leg would carry him. Before he could reach him, a lithe young woman dressed in strange, skin hugging clothing rushed up to him and embraced him, almost knocking him down. She noticed Tyrian as he approached, turning her companion toward him.

Despite the pain in his leg, he dropped to one knee, putting his head down as he greeted the strangers. "Friends, we are forever in your debt."

Ron looked at the man kneeling before them. He looked like he was in his early sixties, his thick brown hair and beard full of gray. The man was bulky, thickly built, not fat. He greeted them in Arkonian, though the dialect sounded different than they were used to hearing. It almost reminded them of the way the Blessed Mother would chant.

"It's not over yet." Kim said. "We've befriended a Torellian general who is friendly to your people. He warned us that even if we were able to stop this attack, more will come."

"I know. Yet today you have given us hope. Please, come with me." He rose to his feet, obviously in pain despite there being no evidence of a fresh injury. "My name is Tyrian Vershalt. I am the regent of Vershaltia and leader of these people."

"I'm Kim, and this is my husband Ron. Really, we don't have much time. We need to get your people together so we can get out of here once Sagan returns with a transport."

"I'm sorry, but that is not going to happen."

"What? I'm afraid you don't understand. They're going to come looking for their robots, and this time it's going to be ground troops armed with modern weapons. You won't stand a chance against that and there won't be an easy way to stop them this time."

"No, there won't be, but we will not leave our homes."

Ron and Kim looked at each other, horrified that the battle they had won just might have been in vain.

* * *

A/N

If you're looking for a nice break from the action here, I've just completed a nice, fluffy mini-prequel to this story titled _**A Few Days of Peace**_ chronicling Kim and Ron's honeymoon.


	18. The Colony of the Chosen

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_ **

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The Colony of the Chosen

* * *

To Ron, there simply was no question. It had become one of the inescapable truths of the universe. There were never enough Nacos, monkeys were put in the universe to torment him…

…and Kim was seriously tweaked.

She had spent the better part of the afternoon, into the evening arguing with Tyrian, trying to convince the man that if his people remained, they would be slaughtered. In the end, nothing she could say would dissuade the man. It didn't help either that everyone else she spoke to expressed the same feelings. Troxxite was their home. They had been there since before the Torellians had even discovered it. The vast majority of them, just under three hundred souls counting the young, had been born there.

Ron sat listening to it all, taking it all in. He always left this part to his wife, since she was the one who had majored in international diplomacy and was in the progress of seeking a masters in the same. Since nothing being discussed was of a culinary nature, he simply kept his mouth shut, afraid he would say something wrong, hurting their cause.

Then, as Tyrian recounted the history of his colony to her, something struck a chord in him. Still, he let the story unfold, trying to resolve the resonance in his head.

"Most of us were born here. A very few have arrived only in the last few years. All of those who have come here have done so because we were no longer welcome in our original homelands, all because we could no longer live in a world controlled by the False Podondrin. My ancestor was the Prefect of the Province of Vershaltia, one of the few lands that had not come under his subjugation. We were followers of Arkon the Great and keepers of the True Faith. For many centuries we had been ignored because of the mountainous terrain that protected us. Occasionally we would be plagued by the Gatherers, but for the most part our numbers were deemed to be too small to pose any threat. In fact, we were content that as long as the Masters saw fit to leave us alone, we would live our lives apart from them.

"Then, some four hundred years ago (somehow the same ability that allowed them to speak the language allowed them to comprehend the passage of time in terms they could relate to) one of my ancestors was presented with an ancient book. Inside was a detailed account of the Demon Wars, as well as the prophecy of the Knights of the Ascended. He soon discovered the text was the actual original copy of the Book of Arkon. On the surface the book seemed only to be a history and a set of vague prophecies, but our scholars discovered its true purpose. The book was one of power, in its whole revealing the truth about the Effurien and the days when our saviors would arrive to deliver us from the evil that was gripping our world. From that day we were no longer content just to hide in our protected lands.

"The False Podondrin must have sensed this, because he sent his armies, led by a mysterious warrior dressed completely in black to conquer us. Many thousands died on both side, but our people were eventually captured and taken to Daganshire as slaves. We were put to work building the Master's Palace anew, laying stone upon stone, disguising further the true nature of his citadel.

"Yet, through all of this we never lost our true faith. We new the truth, that one day the Ascended ones would send their Trinity to destroy the False Master. A century passed, then the one who first brought the Book to us reappeared. She broke our bonds and spirited what was left of us away, bringing us to this place where He could not find us, where we could live and grow and keep the faith until that day. Since then we have lived here. Our numbers have never been great, though occasionally she would send others like us to live here."

Kim listened to the story, standing there in all her glory, her legs apart, her head held high. Ron could have sworn the blue bands of her suit were glowing brighter, though that was only a trick of the light. "If all of that is true, why do you want to throw away your lives just to protect a tiny bit of land? That doesn't make the first bit of sense to me. You don't have the numbers or the technology to stand up to a modern military force like the Torellians."

"Because if we do not, we will once again be forced from our homes. Home is home and we will either die here with honor or we will be delivered by the Kiresmek ban Effurien. When the time of darkness begins, we will be the rallying point for the Knights, so that they may restore us to our true home. That cannot be done if we are spirited away again."

By the meeting of the colony elders ended, the sun had long set. A lodging had been set aside for them and Ron at least was going to take full advantage of some real rest. Kim, on the other hand, was still extremely agitated, pacing around their quarters in a huff, he fists balled up, her whole body clenched up.

He didn't like seeing her this way. Normally, the sight of her in a skin-tight super-suit, despite being stained with mud and other gunk, her hair matted from the trek through the jungle and the fight, was considerably hot. Her petite upper torso, her athletic legs, her inverted heart shaped backside all came together in a whole that at the same time melted him and, well, stiffened his resolve. Now, however, the agitation, the fury in her face made her actually look shrill and mean.

Ron sat on the edge of the Arkonian pit style bed, watching her, his heart hurting for her yet not quite knowing what to do. Throughout the whole argument he sat there waiting, trying to figure out what he had heard. He too wanted to save these people and he felt both hurt and betrayed that they would throw away their best efforts. It just wasn't right. They had risked their lives to save a group of people they had never met. People they would have never known about had they not been literally stolen from their world against their will. They had gone into the fight thinking they were there for a reason, that some sort of providence had delivered them to the right place and the right time to make a difference. These people, who had seemed to want to survive, who had heroically stood up to an enemy who sought their extermination, now seemed to have meekly resigned themselves to their fate, all over some notion they had been chosen by some mysterious female benefactor to keep their Faith.

It had seemed so good at first. The people clapping him on the shoulders. Mothers handing children to others so they could hug him. They were being welcomed as heroes. It was something he had always enjoyed, the feeling of gratitude when they helped people. He wanted that gratitude, he fed off it. It was the simple reward for a noble act.

Now all of that felt empty. Their efforts were now empty, meaningless. He felt so helpless.

_Kim felt helpless._

He realized as he sat watching her, watching the blazing green fury in her eyes that he was feeling what she was feeling. She was helpless and it was consuming her. She was not in control and it was crushing her and through her, because he could feel what she was feeling, he was being crushed by it as well. He wanted nothing more right at that moment to be back at home, making senseless drives to him company headquarters, coming home to Kim at night, oblivious to all of this suffering, the danger. He wanted to go back to just over a week ago, to when all he had to come home to was a loving wife with nothing but joy in her instead of rage and powerlessness. He wanted to go back to the time where all they had to worry about was 'christening' every room of their new home.

No. That just wasn't right. It wasn't noble. If Kim had taught him something over their many years together, selfish needs had to come after doing what was right. If he was safe at home, oblivious to these people, then by now they would all be dead. Sure, they might have taken a few of the Torelloids out, but then end would have been pre-ordained. Once the battle had been joined, the command craft would have sent the signal for the bots to go into independent mode and they would have mown the whole population down. These chosen people would have been exterminated.

These _Chosen_ people.

"Kim! Stop!" he struggled to his feet, almost tripping on the raised lip of the sleeping pit.

She turned and glared at him, her expression softening once she realized who she was looking at. "What?" she said, her voice still tinged with anger and sadness.

"Something was bothering me the whole time I was listening to Tyrian back there. Something he said caught my attention and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was until just now. How much have you understood when you go to Temple with me?"

"Some. I don't understand Hebrew yet, but it'll eventually come."

"That's not what I'm getting at. The Torah is part of the Bible, after all. These people aren't willing to lay their lives down because of a piece of land, they're willing because of Faith."

"I don't see what you're getting at."

"Kim, these people are the true Arkonians, the ones who haven't been tainted by that thing controlling their planet. They believe they will be the ones to restore the place once somebody manages to overthrow him. To do that they have to be true to their Faith. I know it's a bit of a reach, but I think they're a lot like the ancient Hebrews who were delivered from Egypt."

Kim calmed down just a little, sitting on the edge of the pit opposite where he was standing. "Ronnie, if this is supposed to be a land of milk and honey…"

"I know, like I said, it was a bit of a reach, but this means something to me. It's central to my own Faith. They've been raised to believe in something, and maybe they are confusing it with the land and all, but if they cut and run, then by their beliefs, they will have failed."

"Ron, if they stay here, we'll be the ones failing. I just can't sit here and watch these people die just because they believe what's written in some old book."

"How is that book any different from your Bible or my Torah? It's what they believe in."

"Oh God." Her head sunk down, her hair drooping limply over her shoulders. Tears were flowing freely down her face. In a heartbeat he was across the pit, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close.

"It's me again. I'm so wrapped up in myself I'm not taking anything else into consideration. Just me and my selfish 'got to be the hero' thing again. What am I supposed to do?"

"We do what we always do. Fight the good fight. We do the impossible. That means we find a way to save these people without taking them away from their homes. Honey, look at me." He gently took her chin in his fingertips. "Nothing is impossible."

_Nothing is impossible_ he said again, soul-speaking to her.

Kim almost collapsed in his arms, all the tension draining out of her, letting all of her weight be supported by him. She was crying furiously, openly, almost wailing and he let her. Not knowing how he was doing it, he extended his soul into hers, supporting it as he was now supporting her heaving body, to the point he started crying with her. They stayed that way for perhaps an hour, her sorrow fading to stifled sobs, Ron gently rocking her.

Finally spent, Kim put her head on his shoulder, trying to clear her breathing, wiping her face with the smooth, non-absorbent sleeve of her suit. Ron found himself to be rather stopped up himself by that point.

"Maybe it's better we can't smell each other right now." He said, looking at the ground in grime coating his bare hands."

"No kidding." She laughed softly. Then she grabbed him in a fierce hug, not caring that his battered armor dug into her. "I love you so much, Ron."

"I love you too, Kim."

She held him a while longer then finally pulled away, sitting limply on the edge of the pit. She looked at her own clothes, at her hands still covered in black gloves that merged seamlessly with the gray suit, at the blue stripes softly glowing from the power that coursed through the fabric, keeping her body cool, carrying away extra sweat, providing defensive screens and healing damage to the fabric.

"I wonder if there's a reason I haven't taken this completely off for a few days now." She said, stripping the gloves off."

"I'd think it was because of what might be under there." He half-joked.

"No, I think it has more to do with this" She rapped her knuckles on the chest-plate of his armor. "With it on, I'm Kim Possible, superhero and all that. I went too long being just Kim Stoppable, housewife and student."

He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes, showing a little hurt.

"No, Ron, it's not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just, when we stopped doing the full-time hero thing, when we had to quit so we could finish college…I think something inside me just got shut off. Now that we're back trying to be heroes, trying to save the world it's like we're trying to go back to something that just isn't there any more and it scares me that something we've always loved has been lost. I feel like if I take off this suit it'll be like taking off a mask of sorts, like…"

"Like maybe it's time we grew up?" He said, repeating the words she said to him just a few days before they were finally together. "Kim, maybe what we were before has changed. Maybe our teen years were something that's like catching lightning in a bottle." He reached under his arm and found the catches for his armor, letting the chest plate and backing fall aside, leaving his chest bare. "But what's inside the shell is who we really are. What we've become is because of what we've done, what we are inside, all of it. You're still a hero. I didn't even have to ask you when I decided to help these people. Maybe we don't crave the adventure any more, maybe that's it, but that doesn't change the rest. Just a little bit ago all I could think of was being back home, driving that boring drive, coming home to make love to you, hoping one of those times will be the one that makes our family grow."

"Ron, I haven't stopped taking…"

"I know. We've talked about it, sure, but I've just had this secret fantasy about those things not always working. Just a little…what if. That's beside the point. I really don't care if we turned off our Kimmunicators forever. Maybe Joss and the twins would want to carry it on, maybe they'd just throw their names in the hat with GJ. I've thought long and hard about being just the Naco Man, but you know what happens every time I go down that road? What we are keeps hauling us back in. Call it destiny, fate or just the big man upstairs having it in for us, this is what we do."

"But if that's not what you want…"

"KP, all I've ever wanted was to be a part of your life. The rest just came with the package. I've got everything I've wanted and more. I would have been happy just being your best friend. Sure, it would have broken my heart to see you end up with some other guy, but I'd have eventually gotten over that because I wouldn't be willing to lose you because of it."

"Ron, it would have broken my heart anyway if I ended up with somebody else, because that would mean seeing you find somebody. It nearly killed me thinking about you ending up with Tara or Zita or Yori. I had my own selfish reasons that I never told you about Tara, or that I didn't say anything about Yori until she was flying away in a helicopter. Subconsciously or consciously I wanted you for myself. Did you know I was a heartbeat away from telling you how I felt that day outside of DNAmy's fortress? I even said 'you've got me.' Then I realized you mistook what I said as some flip remark because you were seriously considering how Yori felt about me, so I held my tongue. I was so stupid I figured you really didn't have those kinds of feelings for me and it took what you said three weeks later to tell me I was wrong."

"You mean, then, you, huh?"

"Ron, why do you think I followed you to the Amazon, then back to Arizona? I couldn't stand the thought of you being with that strange girl from Yamanuchi."

"Wow." He sat there a while, thinking about that until a knock on the wooden door brought them out of their reverie. He got up and let a young woman, one of the mothers who had embraced him earlier into the room, bearing a stack of folded clothing.

"Lord Vershalt thought you would appreciate more comfortable clothing."

"Uh, sure, thanks. Um, you wouldn't happen to have any place we could clean up, do you?"

"There is a bath house at the back of the courtyard behind this cottage. Your should find the water pleasingly cool, though if you prefer, a fire can be lit for you, though I do not think the water will be warm until far into morning."

"Thanks, I think we can make do."

The laid the clothing out. It was plain, made of soft material similar to cotton, if a little more coarse. There were also a pair of what looked like long shirts made of a much lighter material. They recognized them as the sleepwear they had been provided when they were on Arkonia with the Blessed Mother.

The bath house was similar to the large baths they had pretty much been thrown into that time, just on a much smaller scale. Ron stuck a hand in the water, finding it just slightly warmer than the air. Several blocks of homemade looking soap were nearby, along with a stack of large towels. Kim laid the two nightshirts off to the side. The courtyard was private and the home had been set aside just for them, but, since besides the new Vershaltian clothing, Ron's armor and her battle-suit were the only garments they had and she had no intention of parading around in her all-together, walled garden or not.

He stripped the segmented armor off both his arms and set it aside. Mud and grime had settled into the suit, matting his fine yellow chest hair into a swirled mess. It took some doing, but he finally undid the clasps holding the rest of his gear together until he was down to what had once been a pair of paisley silk boxers.

Kim sniffed again. "Ooof, I think my nose is clearing up. Honey, you stink."

Ron reached up to her collar and found the hidden tab of her zipper, pulling it down to her belly button. He leaned in close to her exposed skin. "Speak for yourself." He looked down at his drawers. He had basically been wearing them since getting them out of the drawer on the previous Saturday morning, having only intended to wear them temporarily on Sunday until he got a chance to take a shower (a chance he never had!) "I think these things need to be burned now." He stripped them off, thinking if he threw them at the wall, they would likely stick. "I am so ready to get this funk off of me." He sniffed in her direction once more as she worked her boots off. "Make that get the funk off both of us."

"That didn't seem to matter to you the other night on that crashed ship." She teased, becoming a little more at ease looking at his slender chest, at the slightly rounded bulge of his pecs.

"I don't think it would have mattered if we were covered in toxic sludge that night. Besides, I was preoccupied with what it might be like if you had stayed in all that metal."

"Um, ew, Ron, I don't think that would have worked too well."

"Can't blame a guy for thinkin that way." He dipped a bucket into the small pool, pouring it over his head, proceeding to lather himself up Japanese style. Kim finished stripping out of her suit and joined him, helping him lather up. The soap didn't work as well as the modern stuff, but it didn't smell like lye.

He took the opportunity to pour a bucket over her head as she knelt to get another chunk of soap. She came up sputtering as her started lathering her up. After a couple of quick rinsing showers that way they slipped into the pool to soak all the rest away. The water was only about three feet deep but there was enough room for them to sit on opposite sides, their toes touching under the water.

"Thank you." She said, watching him from the other side, her shoulders submerged, her hair pulled up and over her shoulders, some of it floating out over her.

"Kim, I like giving you a bath. I like it when you give me a bath."

"That's not what I was talking about. I mean back there in the house, what you said, what you did for me. I really needed to get all that out."

"KP, that's what being married, being partners is all about. It's not all the sexy stuff, all the cuddling. It's about being part of each other and if it means letting you cry or jerking a knot in your tail, the so be it."

"Jerking a knot in my tail? You're the one who's likely to sprout a tail one of these days using all those monkey powers."

"Oh, then who's the one who really did sprout a monkey tail, little monkey queen?"

"Oh no you don't. We're not going there. I'm blocking that whole business with the amulet out of my head. I am not going to even think about it."

"Why not. You were actually pretty cute as a monkey, with all your red hair, your green eyes. Never thought Kimminess would be cute on a banana eating tree beast."

"Ron! I had a unibrow!" She splashed some water at him.

"I know. It was only visible when you were half-transformed. Once you went 'the full monkey' you actually looked, well, I hate to admit this…"

"If you say I looked hot as a monkey, you're sleeping on the couch, buster!"

"No, I wasn't going to say hot. That would be sick and wrong, considering you really were a monkey. You were just weely, weely cute." He said the last in a little kiddie voice.

"Oh, great, I'm the next Cuddlebuddy!"

"That's it! You looked like a Cuddlebuddy! Let's see, what should we call you? Kimmie-Chi? Mon-Kim?"

"Ron!"

"Though, not a lot of monkeys have such nice hips, and every so often the tail flipping up the skirt…"

"Ron!"

"…and perky little…"

Kim shot across the pool, clamping a hand on his mouth. "You can stop that now, mister. And for your information, that was just my top holding its shape."

"Um hum." He mumbled through her fingers, looking at her with half-lidded eyes.

"and who was it just now saying it was sick and wrong thinking those thoughts about a monkey.'

He gently pulled her fingers from his mouth. "Because I knew it was you, and I think you're kickin whether you're a human shaped monkey, and, by the way, that wasn't just your top holding its shape, I'm a guy, I'm wired to notice these things, and I'd think you're just as kickin when you're covered in muck or covered in chrome and I loved you the same either way."

"So, mister smooth talker, how kickin am I right now since I'm clean." She pulled her body up against his in the lukewarm water, straddling one of his legs and pressing her lips up against his in a passionate kiss.

"Badical" he whispered when he came up for air. His face got a little more serious. Not quite his serious face, but without any of his usual goofiness. "So what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"It's not tomorrow yet." She kissed him again, her arms dipping into the water.

Tyrian was wondering by the walls of his guest house and stopped to consider the loud splashing from the bath, shrugged, then hobbled back to the main house on his cane. He had plans to make if he was to save his people, with the aid of these two.

He said a silent prayer, thanking the Blessed Mother for sending the Hand and the Sword to them, hoping that soon the Heart would join them.


	19. Chili Cheeseburgers

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 19: Chili Cheeseburgers**

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Yori stared at her plate as if somebody had served her a broiled giant mutant cockroach. The…thing on it seemed to be oozing something she could not readily identify. She lifted the top off of it, finding little inside that was familiar to her either. She replaced the top and reached for a napkin to wipe the grease from her fingertips. She looked across the Formica table at Wade, who had insisted on their choice at the busy cafeteria.

Somehow a lot of the mild fantasies she had entertained about him were chased away at the sight of him happily chewing on the dripping mess he had called a chili cheeseburger. "Mmmph, (swallow) you not hungry, Yori?"

"I was expecting and American style hamburger like I have had in Tokyo. This is…"

"Pure perfection on a bun. They're not as good as you can get at _Muddrakker's _but it's nice to have one once in a while, especially since I don't get to eat anything like this at home any more."

"Why would you not get…this…at home?" She lifted the edge of the bun again, surveying the oily brown gloop mixing with the orange cheese.

"Early last year Ron and Kim got stuck for a few days eating nothing but my personal stash of food. When they got back, Kim sat down with my mother and convinced her my diet was going to do me in, so ever since then I've been eating mostly green things." He made a face that mirrored Yori's. He looked up, seeing his disgust mirrored in her face, realizing what he considered an absolute treat probably looked like toxic sludge to her. He quickly put his own burger down, wiping his mouth.

"Yori, I have a confession to make. I don't know what I'm doing. In fact, I have utter, positively no idea what I'm doing, so if I'm looking like a total idiot to you, I'm not faking."

"Wade-san, I have been told you are one of the most brilliant minds on the planet. I cannot think of you as an idiot."

"That's not exactly what I mean. It's…I…you. Bleaaaah!"

"I am bleah to you?"

"No! I…" he buried his face in his hands. Without looking up he muttered, "I just wanted to ask you out and all. When all this is over, if there really is something bad going on. I just don't trust Drakken any further than I could throw him, his recent bought of sanity notwithstanding. I mean, what he says makes a little sense, but I'm a scientist, not a wizard or something and I know you're like a few years older than me but I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I think Shego thinks she's got him wrapped around her fingers but I don't know, he's played her before and…"

"Wade-san."

"…with Kim and Ron missing I don't know what to think and…"

Yori put her hand on top of his, her small palm not even a third of the size of his wide grip. "Wade-san, I would love to go out with you, granted you have permission to go out with an…older woman."

Yori's timid smile almost melted Wade. "Like you said, you're only a little bit older than me. I think Mom'll be thrilled. She still can't get over me actually getting out of the house for a regular job, even though I've got enough money rolling in from my patents. Did I mention that…"

"Wade-san, do you always ramble like this?"

"Uh, not really. Do you, uh, want me to get you something else?"

Mustering her courage, Yori lifted the dripping mess to her lips. Once, someone had convinced her to try a Naco the next time she was in Tokyo and that had turned out to be a pleasant surprise (at least going down – she was used to a traditional Japanese diet and American Style fast food doesn't always sit well in those circumstances.) Hesitantly, she took a bite. Then another, and another, finally opening her small mouth as far as it would go to take a huge bite, causing oil, mustard and chili to drip back onto her plate.

"You use the fries to get what you lost." Wade said, demonstrating the technique on his own plate.

"I've never tasted anything quite like that, and that includes the 'Burger Prince' hamburger I had in Tokyo."

"Hamburgers are actually a regional thing, they're not all alike. My parents are from Atlanta, and this is how they like their burgers in the South. Chili, slaw, mustard, onions, cheese. Beats that beef patties, thousand island sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame seed bun garbage at McBurger any day of the week.

Yori could only nod as she dug deeper into her culinary treat. Feeling a little happier, a little more confident now that she had secured a tentative date, she slipped one foot out of her sandal and started playing with Wade's calf, almost causing him to choke on a French fry.

His reaction shocked her back to reality. What was she doing? Despite his size, his bearing, his seeming maturity, Wade was still a minor, at least in his culture and she was an adult, despite her sheltered upbringing. A date was fine, but she had to behave herself. Anything else would be, as she often said, unseemly.

Yet her toes kept moving up and down his bare calf. She had notices his stares earlier and was starting to appreciate Joss Possible-san's taste in clothing, the way it drew his eyes downward…

_Stop it! This is not…proper!_

She had not even kissed him. It was not the time or the place for such a thing, but she couldn't get it out of her head. This was so new, so alien to her.

She was honestly entertaining the thought of leaning over the narrow table and kissing him right then and there.

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Joss was getting bored. Over the last couple days she had gotten used to talking with Yori. Make that jabbering away with her. No, make that jabbering away at her, for the most part. Now she was gone, having lunch with Wade. Joss dearly loved the guy, but, come on! _This is Wade we're talking about _she thought.

It didn't take her much to catch the way those two were looking at each other. Wade's attention to Yori was only mildly surprising. She just simply never thought of Wade as wanting to chase after girls. He was always just this guy on a Kimmunicator screen, a guy who seemingly only left his room to go to work at the Space Center, fiddling with that space ship over there. It was the fact Yori was looking at him like she had been thunderstruck. Wade wasn't heinous, but he wasn't the most handsome man on the planet either. Granted, when she looked at him the first thing she saw was the eleven year old boy she had first seen on her cousin's screen. She had seen him off and on in those intervening years, so his growth into a tall, muscular young man had been a gradual thing. Then too, Wade was pretty much family.

She really should be happy with this turn of events. That meant Yori could finally stop obsessing about Ron. Oh, she talked a good game during their ride across Arizona, but she was an expert at reading between the lines. The girl still carried a big old torch for her cousin-in-law.

One almost as big as the one she still carried.

That was utter nonsense, she would tell herself. I little girl crush on a guy who, by his own repeated admission, was scared of everything, wasn't much to look at (okay, that had changed over the last couple years) and wasn't exactly the brightest candle on the Menorah.

She kept telling herself that it wasn't Ron she wanted, but the ideal of him. Her long string of boyfriends were just fun, something to occupy her time and, sometimes, just the right thing to piss off her father, especially the ones she slept with. Somebody like Ron was who she would one day settle down with, the man she would rope and make her husband, the man who would father her children. She wanted a man with all of his essential Ron-ness.

It was a good rationalization. Too bad she'd only ever met one man like that.

She watched as the woman she would only ever think of as "Shego" led her daughter back into the room. It was easy enough to look at her now, with her now normal looking flesh, her hair cut above her shoulders, wearing jeans and a blouse instead of the green and black jumpsuit, and think she was just a nice, normal woman with a severe case of bitchiness.

Joss knew better.

"Hey, Montana, didn't Ninja-girl go off to lunch with Nerdlinger a little bit ago?"

"Yup." She muttered, turning her attention back to an online version of a fashion magazine displayed on her Kimmunicator.

"…and wasn't she dressed up like you in those 'hump-me-now' hot pants?"

"So says the woman in the 'hey boys, look at these!' blouse?" She shot her verbal nemesis another withering glare, only to be ignored once again.

"Just saying, she must have realized muscle boy is nothing but an over inflated tub of goo cause she was just headed the other way, and she's already back in that ninja getup of hers."

"Wait a minute. Her gi is still in our bags, in the back of my jeep. They went to the cafeteria, that's nowhere near the hanger."

"So?"

Joss was already on her feet, headed for the passageway leading past the ready room they were occupying. She had been in the Global Justice Headquarters complex enough to know her basic way around. The cafeteria was to the right. To the left, leading away from the dining area, was the passage leading to the central command complex. She ran back into the room, grabbing her grappler gun and a coiled up bullwhip, fixing them to her belt loops.

Grabbing her Kimmunicator, she dialed up unit three (Wade's wrist unit) and hit send.

"Hey, Wade, is Yori still with ya?"

"Sure is. She just polished off her second chili-cheeseburger and she's eyeing mine."

"'Kay, whatever. Shego just said she passed Yori headed for the command center, all dressed up ninja-like. If she's there with you…"

"…then the fake Yori is here too. We're on our way." He signed off.

Joss took off down the hall at a dead run, leaving a confused Sherry Lipsky in her wake.

* * *

Corrin's confidence was high. It had been easy enough to divine where the captured clones would be taken. If it involved those particular youthful heroes of this world, it always ended up involving Global Justice as well. A few calls placed with carefully hidden agents and some other, native contacts she had secured and it was clear they had been flown from Arizona back to the main command complex. Since she was already there, it was a very simple matter to cast a lens and step into an empty room. There may have been over a thousand people inside the sprawling underground facility, but there was always vacant space, waiting for those who did not need use normal doors to enter.

From there she considered her choices. First she would have to figure out exactly where the prisoners would be kept. That was simple enough, as these foolish Terrans had a habit of placing maps in almost every room. Clearly labeled on the diagram was the holding area, two levels below the command center.

Then there was the question of how she would approach. It was mid-day and the whole place was buzzing with activity. She caught bits and pieces of conversations. There were agents tracking known terrorists in the Middle East. Other agents had somebody named 'Brotherson' on their minds. Without physical contact, all she could hear were the loudest of thoughts sifting from unguarded minds. The fools were either too confident in their security or they had no experience with those who could pry into unwary thoughts.

That made a more brazen approach possible. She was, after all, the master of the Gatherers. They all learned their craft from her, she was the font on knowledge they drew upon to carry out their tasks for the masters.

She strode from the room just as she was, dressed entirely in her Terran ninja garb, the hood down. She walked with purpose, as if she knew precisely where she was going, as if she had every right to be where she was and to be going where she was going. The fools were so confident in their security they didn't look at her twice, save for a couple of men whose lecherous thoughts wafted over her like the stink of month old garbage. Some of the men of this world were worth her time and she knew how to take pleasure from them, but only when she was the one making the selection. Most were simply slugs to her.

Not everyone in the complex were wearing the navy-blue jumpsuits. There were civilians everywhere. She even saw a young woman leading her child from a lavatory. This was all too easy and much quicker than trying to infiltrate the facility by stealth. Still, she cast just the tiniest glamour on herself, diminishing the casual viewer's notice of her current shapely, though woefully undernourished form.

There were far fewer people around as she descended the two requisite levels to the holding area, increasing the chance the more awake among them would notice her presence. She waited until she was completely alone, then sprung up into the heavy metal scaffolding, pulling the hood up over her head, leaving only her eyes visible. From a hidden fold of her gi, she pulled a length of black cloth, tying it over her face, concealing her eyes while allowing her full vision.

With practiced, almost fluid ease she sprang from beam to beam, covering the remaining distance like a shadowy black cat. Where her protégés had to use calm, planned moved, she slipped through the gloom like a silent breath of breeze, her speed unmatched by even the best of her charges.

Still, she was gaining some measure of respect for the security in this place. Most of the time everything was directed at doors. Control the door, you could control the space you were defending. That worked, as long as the intruder wished to use the door. She knew from the report the clones had given her when they had been here before that the air system was not going to yield to her presence. Some time in the past these people had learned their lesson. There would be no crawling through the ventilation ducts in here.

That mattered little to a being who could not be barred by a simple physical barrier. Whispering a word of power, her black clothing became even more dark, as if the light around her were being pulled into it, lost as if she had become the very opposite of light. She pressed herself flat against a wall, slowly becoming part of it. Great distances could be bridged by the power of the Arkonian lens, but that would not suffice here. The silvery disk of a transit lens would give off enough light to alert the scattered guards, as would the sound it made as two distinct points in the cosmos became one for a moment as she stepped through. No, this was another technique, one where she would partially step into another dimension, bridging the gap between this world and one of perpetual shadow. From her perspective she stepped into the wall, turned around and stepped out, emerging on the other side.

The chamber was large, carved from solid bedrock on the outskirts of Middleton. The interior was roughly dome shaped, with a single light shining from above. In the center was a single cell made of a clear plastic substance. Inside, sitting placidly were her two targets. Because of their training, they had observed her entrance.

She was sure they knew what would come next. This was part of their training as well, to accept the result of failure. If they had been fully up to the skill required for this job, she would not have had to do this herself. They would have ended their lives before being brought to such a place.

"This would have been easier if the two of you had done your job properly." She said in an icy voice.

The red-haired female stood, her hands bound behind her back with cuffs. She stood there, her legs apart, defiant to the last. "We have done what has been asked of us."

"Silence, you fool. You should have already ended your pathetic life."

"I cannot. The master commands me that I must live at all costs. You would be wise to heed his wishes."

"False child. I can see now why it took the trainers so long to break you. Too much spirit taken from your natural forebear. You know what it means to fail, and fail you have, both at your capture and your continued, pathetic existence." She waved a hand and the mechanical portion of the lock popped open. Alarms began to blare, but she didn't care. By the time anyone arrived she would have finished her mission and have left using a lens. A short, chisel tipped knife appeared in her hand.

She walked into the box-like cell, the knife held ready to spill the life from the defiant clone. Her fist rose, the blade down.

Something snaked out of the darkness, wrapping itself around her wrist, pulling her back as she moved to strike. Her head whipped around, seeing the two figures framed in the doorway for the first time. One was holding a long whip of corded leather, still wrapped around her arm, the sting lessened by the thick, silk-like material of her clothing.

The other was the woman whose form she had taken.

"Looks to me like we've got us a per-tend ninja here, what you say, Yori." The slight female holding the whip said in an accent Corrin could almost not comprehend. She reached for the cord, but it snaked away just past her fingertips. She readied herself for the painful weapon to strike once more.

Instead the new combatant snapped it upwards, wrapping the end around a strut. She was so perplexed by the move she almost didn't see the high-heeled cowboy boot coming at her face in time. Twisting to one side she batted at the flying girl, catching her in her midsection with her free hand, sending her skidding to the floor.

The girl was good. She rolled up into a fighting crouch, but she knew she could not spend all of her attention on this newcomer. The other woman she knew would be the most dangerous.

"It is one thing to lie in wait for your victim." The golden skinned woman said, taking a step into the room almost casually as the smaller woman tried to circle around with her whip. "It is quite another to face your opponent with honor." Her hand, which had been hidden behind her back came up. She held the sword, point up in front of her face, then dropped into a fighting stance, the sword held high in both hands.

Corrin could only stare as she recognized the weapon. _This was impossible! How did she have the Master's sword?_

She was so distracted she forgot about the other girl. At least until the whip stuck the back of her knife hand, sending the weapon sailing away from her. With a growl, she charged the closer woman "Foolish child! I will teach you about your betters!" she snarled in Arkonian.

"Sorry, lady, don't speak whatever it is your sayin. Now if you'd like, I do speak a lil bit a Spanish." The girl readied her whip to strike once more. This time she was ready. As the slender cord of stinging hide flashed through the air toward her, she caught it, not heeding the barb at its tip. It wrapped around her arm and she hauled the skinny slip of a girl down onto the hard floor.

She didn't give her a chance to get up. Pouncing on her, she grabbed the back of her neck, speaking another word of power. She did not have time to steal her form or her thoughts, but the spell was enough to knock her unconscious for a few minutes.

Instincts honed in close to a century of training kicked in. She leapt backwards, missing the flashing blade by mere inches. Her doppelganger did not let up in her charge, bringing the sword around once more in a flashing motion, the silvery steel just a blur in the muted light of the holding area.

Corrin backed off. Her instincts told her she had an edge in skill and experience, but the long sword evened up the odds considerably. A wicked smile curled onto her lips as she watched her opponent circling. The sword glittered in the overhead light, but it did not glow. The woman either did not know about or could not access its power. In the master's hands, the sword would be bathed in a white light. As such, there was no armor, no spell that could withstand the blade. Without it, it was just sharpened steel.

The young female ninja charged her once more, the sword held high, ready to strike. She spun on her heel, sailing away from the blow. What she didn't expect was the fist that crashed into her chin as she did so. The sword strike had been a diversion. She stumbled backwards, wiping the trickle of blood from her lip as her opponent circled once more.

"Your training rivals the Tragda Sur, young warrior, but you are no match for an Arcus." She threw her hands up and spoke another word of power. Darkness enveloped her hands, spreading like a wave into her opponent. The sword maiden flew backwards, landing on her rump before half rolling, half spinning back into her fighting stance. She cast her left hand at her, sending another wave of blackness, this time concentrated into a tight beam, right at her sword hand. The woman grunted in pain as the weapon went sailing across the room.

Blackness swirled around the female sorcerer's feet, launching her into the air at her opponent. She barely twisted out of the way in time, though her flight took her further away from her weapon.

"It is so nice that you have brought that pretty bauble for me to present to the Master. I know not how you came about it, but it will make a fine present to go with the other one he has, the one he captured from the Sword of the Effurien." Blackness grew around her hands again, sending the young woman painfully into the stone wall.

With fierce suddenness, pain washed through her body. The dark powers vanished as she wrenched herself away from its source. She fell to the ground on her back as her feet went out from under her and she saw her attacker in all his fury.

Standing over her, clutching her discarded knife was the blonde haired clone. Blood dripped from the blade where it had plunged into her waist. She could feel her own life blood seeping out. It was a killing blow, one that caused her crippling pain from her ruined kidney. There was no joy, no triumph in that placed, spotted face framed by an unruly mop of gold colored hair. There was no pity there either, only righteous fury. Standing nearby, the same fire visible in her green eyes, was the other clone. The both still had their hands chained, but they were no longer held behind their backs. Damned skinny wretches!

"The Master commands that we must live." She said in English, her naked fury making her stumble on the less-than-familiar words. Those green eyes were the last things she saw as consciousness faded away.

* * *

Yori picked herself up carefully. Nothing was broken, but the black light powers the witch had used on her had done more than throw her around like a rag doll. There had been pain in those powers. She could feel the icy chill of death as she was pummeled by it.

The two clones were standing over the body, the eyes wide open. As they stood there the body seemed to grow slightly, the hair changing from nearly black to blonde, the pale locks spilling all around her, some soaking in the small pool of blood she rested in. The spells that gave her the stolen form died along with her.

Dimly she was aware of the Global Justice soldiers pouring in, taking the bloodied knife away from the male clone. She could not bear to look at him. He wore his face but he was not him. There was none of the inner light in that face, none of the goodness she had seen through those brown eyes.

The only thing that was the same was what he had done when his mate was threatened. They may have been clones, completely different beings from her friends, but some how, some way something still held true between them. It was apparent in how they looked at each other as they were led back to the cell.

Joss was just coming around, the spell used to subdue her fading as well. She nodded to Yori, slowly getting to her feet.

Fire surging in her eyes, Yori pushed past the guards, grabbing the Ron-clone by his shirt, slamming him up against the side of the cell.

"She is the one who took Stoppable-san, is she not?"

"If you mean my forebear, yes."

"Where did she take him?"

"I do not know. She merely commanded us to take him to her transport. I would assume he would be taken to the Master."

"The Master? Who is he, where did she take them?"

"He is our Master, our lord, the living god of our world and soon of this one. It will not matter if I tell you where he has been taken, your puny world cannot reach him now. He has been taken to the world where I was created, where Asha was as well," he nodded toward the Kim-clone, "and when the Master has his Soulmate, he will rule all the cosmos!"

"You're saying he's not even on this planet?"

"He has been taken to the Master's world, to the Halls of Arkon.

"He is now on the planet Arkonia!"


	20. The Anchor of Time

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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* * *

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**Chapter 20: The Anchor of Time**

* * *

"KP, you awake?"

"Yeah."

Sometime during the night the two moons must have gone down, leaving their room so dark they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. An oil lamp that had been left burning on the table had run out of fuel and expired.

Kim was curled up against Ron even though she was covered in a light sheen of sweat from the high humidity, her desire for his touch outweighing the discomfort. Neither of them had slept much even though the odd bed was comfortable and somewhat cool. Despite the damp their bodies cooled quickly after parting from their intimate embrace the evening before and they quickly pulled the light sheets up over their bodies.

Sitting up, she fumbled around in the dark, looking for the nightshirt she had cast off earlier, patting herself lightly with it before climbing out of the pit. Purely from memory she found the chair where her battle suit had been left to dry. The fabric itself wasn't absorbent but she wanted the inside, especially the built-in underwear to have a chance to dry after washing it out the night before.

Her bracelet was clipped to the collar. There was no hope of using it to contact anyone but the chronometer still functioned. "Unless I miss my guess, it's about a hour until dawn."

She picked up the suit, its power bands coming to life, casting a faint blue glow in the room.

"Kim, why don't you come back to bed for now." She heard Ron say as she started slipping her legs into the now-dry suit. "You need your morning dose of Ron-shine."

"Baby, I think I had enough Ron-shine last night to last a few days." She zipped the front up, the ghostly glow of the blue band barely hinting at the shape of her body in the near pitch black room.

"That is so cool. Now I really _need_ to give you a dose of Ron-shine!"

"Dose yourself, Bad-boy. We've got work to do."

"Aw, man."

"Keep this up and I'm throwing you back in that bath. Should be nice and cold now since they didn't light any fires."

"I think I liked the water quite well last night."

"Ron, give it a rest, will you. To think I you used to be the one throwing the brakes on all the time."

"Hey, once I got a taste of natural Kimminess, I couldn't get enough."

"Well, you've had enough Kimminess. Now get dressed."

"I can't even see my clothes."

"Okay, here." Kim let the glove seal to the arm and held up her hand. The bank around her palm got brighter and brighter, the blue glow turning white, illuminating most of the room in a soft blue-white glow.

Ron scrambled out of bed, putting the strange clothing on as quickly as he could, struggling just slightly with the wooden toggle buttons on the pants and the laces on the outer shirt. She had to stifle a quick giggle, thinking about how easily he was able to undo the laces of her old peasant blouse. Thinking along those lines and watching him dress, she was sorely tempted to take him up on his offer for another 'dose' of 'Ron-shine.' Ever since they had been living together and especially since the wedding she often looked forward to a morning 'injection.' Unfortunately she was already sealed into her suit, so she put that thought out of her mind.

He finished dressing by snapping just the chest and back plates of his armor on, mainly so he would have a place to carry the huge sword, considering it was too big to be worn on the belt. It would be just his luck to have the sword drag his pants down around his ankles around all these strangers.

The loose fit on his slender hips made her think that was still quite likely anyway.

Dousing the palm-light she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in for a long, tender kiss. She finished by nuzzling his cheek lightly. "First chance we get, you're shaving. You are most def not a beard man."

"I don't know, KP. Might keep a van-dyke, you know, magic chin grass."

"Oh no you don't. You're going to listen to me, Ron Stoppable, I know what's best for you."

"S'ha, right. Like that time you decided to borrow Mom's car one more time before she traded it?"

"How was I supposed to know it was that uncomfortable? It was just a cool fantasy, like that dream we both had."

"Uh huh, except in that dream we weren't bumping our heads on the ceiling or getting seat belt buckles in our backs."

"Hush, you, or I'll try to duplicate François' haircut using my bare hands."

"What, and me with no pleather? How gauche."

Hand in hand, they left the little cottage. Kim's estimation of first light was off, as the horizon was just turning slightly pink. Torches burned all over the village, illuminating the streets. Apparently they must have slept more than they first thought considering the amount of preparation that had taken place during the night.

The control craft was still parked in the main square, a man with long, shaggy looking hair pouring over the controls. He was apparently having more luck than she had, considering the remaining seventy or so robots had taken up new positions, forming a protective ring around the town, with the majority of them facing west. Large armored skulls swept back and forth, scanning the land and the skies for any approaching threat. The sight was impressive to say the least.

Impressive, yes, but most likely woefully ineffective. The Torelloids were the builder's weapons, and they would know how to fight against them quite easily. It also gave Kim great pause to think the weapons would not be turned once more toward living beings. It made no difference to her that the troops would be coming here seeking to do the same thing the robot army had, it was still killing. The concept that this was more than just an enemy wishing to take control of something, that this was more like war, would not take hold in her mind.

Try as she might, though, she could see no other way. Somewhere out there was an army of heavily armored troops. She did not know if they would come that day or the next or some day after that, but they would come. As if in answer to her question a tiny aircraft streaked by overhead, a tiny yellow flame springing from its tail as it flew over the village.

"That is the third one we have spotted now." Tyrian said. "Probe drone. It's a small unmanned craft they employ to keep an eye on us. That means they already know we have taken control of their machines."

"How long do you think before they send ground troops."

"I do not think it will be today, or, if it is, it will not be until later. I will take them some time to traverse the distance on foot. Even if they use their sky transports, it will take them some time to mount an offensive of that type."

"Unless they decide to simply bomb you from the air." Ron said, watching the tiny speck recede into the distance.

"That could happen. I certainly hope not though. I am counting on the Torellians being their usual, predictable selves."

"Predictable?" Kim queried.

"Yes. They are so proud of their military prowess. They have wielded so much power for so long it has made them overconfident. They allow themselves the luxury of honor in battle and all that nonsense. They have never been put in a position where survival is paramount. They will see our surprise victory yesterday as either an affront to their honor or a challenge to it. Either way they will feel like the only way to regain their honor is to come here themselves and stamp us out. To their minds, bombing us out of existence would be cowardly."

"No more so than sending a hundred killer robots?" Ron asked.

"That was a calculated insult." He explained. "Without the victory you and your mate provided, we were of no consequence and Darkoth wanted that to be our dying thought. We really don't think that way, but that is all he can comprehend."

The sun was finally making its way over the tree tops as several men made their way around the town extinguishing the torches. It was a really strange sight, a village that seemed plucked out of the middle ages, surrounded by tall humanoid robots, as if great stone sentries had been brought to life. One or two men could be seen carrying around bulky rifles, possibly scrounged from the Torellians. What were they going to do with two rifles against hundreds or armored warriors?

They became aware of a slight buzzing sound, a low, indistinct murmur that seemed to surround them. Slowly it grew louder, remaining just on the edge of their senses. Perhaps it wasn't so much that the sound was growing, but that everything else became still. The birds and animals that populated the rainforest had fallen silent, as if expecting something. Only the light wind answered the faint call.

"This is far sooner than I expected." Tyrian frowned, looking to the west.

"They're coming, aren't they?" Kim asked, straining to identify the sound.

The older man simply nodded. Without another word a dozen men gathered around them.

"All is ready, Lord Tyrian."

"Good. Remember, this is our home. This is the life we have made for ourselves in the face of adversity, in the face of evil. We stand here today to defend against that evil, so that the truth will never die."

Ron and Kim were thinking the same thing. A dozen men stood ready, armed with two decrepit energy rifles, a smattering of other weapons that looked like muskets and a handful of swords. The only thing standing with them were the remaining robots, if they had even learned how to correctly operate them in time. Kim looked back at the man feverishly working the controls. He seemed to know what he was doing, but the test would soon come.

Slowly the sound got louder, becoming more and more distinct. They army was not approaching in stealth, what there were hearing was two hundred armor clad fighters screaming at the tops of their lungs. It was unnerving, disheartening…frightening.

It was working.

A clicking sound joined the roar. Kim had an image of soldiers marching, screaming their rage at their adversary, beating their swords against armor or shields, each step bringing the doom of these people closer.

Ron had his sword out, the point held upward despite its great size. The energy field flickered to life, ever so slightly fainter than it had been the day before, its improvised power cell drained of life too quickly by the powerful blade. He must have realized this as he turned it off, hoping to have something later when it was most needed.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. Logic told her to turn and run. Logic said this was not her fight. Yet logic is not what gave her a hero's heart. She would fight and die beside these people because that was what was right. Just like the stubborn old man with the bad leg leading his people, she was one who would stand against evil, no matter the cost.

Yet she felt fear, more fear than ever before. The men coming brought death, swift, terrible death at the end of a blade. It was very likely it would not be a quick death either. Modern weapons could bring the end quickly, but it seemed these people, these warriors so mired in some perverse notion of honor, were intent on making their deaths as painful, as gruesome as possible. She knew she was about to witness firsthand.

Where was this power? What good was this so-called gift that had been given her, unasked, if it could not help them today? Did it only exist to protect Ron? Did he have to be in mortal danger, mortal pain for it to happen? Or was it just a one time thing, something to be used at the direst moment of her life, never to return again? What a waste it would be if that were true. Both of them would die anyway here this day.

Sensing her thoughts, Ron took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. She looked at him, her eyes meeting his, perhaps for the last time.

The clicking changed to banging, the roar turned to shouts. Strange words in the Torellian's guttural language reached them, sounding more like animals on the prowl than near-humans with albino skin. Then she noticed Tyrian.

The man had his sword out, bracing himself on a crutch. He was looking straight at her, muttering something under his breath. Then he looked at Ron. Then she knew.

These people thought they were their savior! Somehow he knew what they were supposed to be, what they meant to his people. They were the faithful. In their hearts they believed what they had been taught.

The ring of robots circling the town sprang to life. Weaponry roared to life, spraying death into the forest, their arms sweeping around, their weapons spewing fire. Every so often something would fly out from the tree-line, streaking on trails of fire and smoke. One connected with a towering sentry, enveloping it in a ball of flame and black smoke. All that remained of it was a pair of smoking metallic legs.

The operator must have known what he was doing, as the circle started to break. Their attackers had planned for this eventuality, bringing weapons that could harm the armored robots. Three more went up in smoke as they broke ranks, taking cover like oversized soldiers in a firefight, trying to keep themselves from presenting too large a target.

Still, one by one the Torelloids fell as rockets streaked toward them. Her heart hammered anew as the last one burst into flames, running away like a living being on fire. For a few minutes there was no sound except the crackle of fires started in some of the wooden structures.

Then the shouting started again. She strained to tell if there were fewer voices, but couldn't. There was no way to tell how effective the gatling lasers of the now destroyed battle-bots had been against the attacking army.

People started emerging from their houses. Men, bearing anything they could find that would cut or hew, women bearing much the same save those who carried their young. In minutes the entire population of the Vershaltian colony had gathered, ready to defend their home.

All too soon the first of the warriors started emerging from the tree line. They didn't advance quickly, their pace measured as they howled, a faceless army of destruction ready to mow down these people, people who in the short time they had been there had shown them courage, faith…

…Tyrian was looking at her again. These people still had hope. Their faith was secure, their deliverers had come. He looked at her with much the same was Ron did.

There was love in those eyes.

_Love was the key._

It wasn't fear and desperate need that brought forth the power. It was love. Her love for Ron was not only the way to turn it off, but to turn it on!

A rainbow of light burst around her, a light so intense it should have blinded all those who looked upon her but it did not. Silvery metal flowed over her body, this time welcomed by her, this time not shocking her, surprising her, making her think she was being attacked by some unknown magic.

Tyrian hung his head, weeping in joy that the Knights of the Effurien truly had come to save them.

The forefront of the Torellians had seen the transformation but it only served to confuse them. They barely missed a step as they marched forward as Kim turned to face them.

Ron's raised his sword over his head, the energy field blazing to life once more, this time not coming from projectors mounted on the guard, but streaming from his hands. It glowed even brighter than it had before.

Behind them, every man, woman and child of the colony started cheering.

The nearest warrior broke into a run, his sword held high, charging Kim. The blade came crashing down at her.

With the swipe of her hand, the blade shattered into hundreds of metal pieces. She spun on her heel, kicking the charging warrior in his chest, sending him sailing back into his charging compatriots.

Ron plowed into the charge, his sword spinning like a great scythe. The sheer ferocity of his counter-attack drove them back, but only for an instant. There were simply too many of them, there was no way they could hold them back forever.

Not unless Kim were willing to kill to stop them.

The debate was raging in her head as she disarmed soldier after soldier, breaking their weapons in her bare hands. She could fly! She had more strength than she could measure. With her new powers she could rend the warriors into pieces before they could even think of reaching the villagers.

How could this kind of power be given to someone who wouldn't use it?

Ron was under no illusions about his power. He knew how to use the sword. Big deal! That meant only one thing to him, he had to deal death with it, just as he had in that damned arena. Still, it was kill or be killed, kill or let innocent people die. It was war, and it was tearing his heart in two. It was filling him with despair and rage. The red mist started descending on his vision again, he could feel himself slipping into a darkness he didn't think possible. A roaring sound filled his ears as he got nearer and nearer to becoming the berserker he feared.

The roaring got louder. It wasn't in his head, it was real, and it was all around them. The fight slowed as everyone looked up.

A small fleet of black and forest green starships was descending from the skies. The first was already landing. The ship was slightly larger than the rest, its hull polished like a black mirror. On its side a crest of a golden skull pierced with a massive ornate sword glistened in the morning light. The attacking warriors saw this and backed away from their stunned opponents, forming up ranks, their swords pointed at the ground.

A ramp dropped from the belly of the ship, a small group of its occupants descending. First among them was a tall, regal looking Torellian, flanked on one side by a man bearing a standard with the same skull and sword emblem, on the other by an armored figure Ron recognized instantly.

"Sagan!"

The elder general nodded his assent but otherwise remained a pace behind the man in the gleaming red and gold armor. The precession came to a halt ten paces from Tyrian, the forward ranks of the attacking army dropping to their knees, the points of their swords thrust into the ground.

"Lord Vershalt" he began in stilted Arkonian. "I am Berek Den Maak, herald of his Most Royal Highness, Emperor Darkon Den Taag. I have been sent to investigate a claim that your people are the rightful inhabitants of this planet, according to our laws."

"I…this is our home. I do not know your laws where it comes to a claim, but I do know my people were here before yours discovered this planet."

"If this is true, and you have demonstrated that you are no enemy, then your claim upon this world will be valid."

"This is an outrage!" Screamed a voice from the line of soldiers. They quickly parted, admitting another familiar Torellian clad in black and gold armor.

"Governor Darkoth, I speak for the Emperor…"

"No, Herald. I am the voice of the Emperor on this world. I enforce his will upon it. You have no say here. This is a military matter, not political."

"Darkoth, you had best watch your tongue. I have come directly from the Court. Your report said this was an illegal colony founded by the Arkonians on a world we had placed a claim upon. That report now is challenged by an Imperial General." He gestured at Sagan, who remained silent.

"How else would there be puny humans here? It has only been a short time since the Arkonians were even capable of space travel. They are an affront to our superior race."

"You will be silent!" the Herald bellowed at the raging governor. "This challenge must be heard at the Court. You will now, under direct orders from the Emperor himself, take your forces and return to your garrison."

"No."

"Pardon me?"

"I said no. I am here this day to enforce the Emperor's will against these people. They have this day and the day before taken up arms against my forces, destroying an entire battalion of our battle droids."

"Your incompetence will be judged at the Court."

"I will not be judged in this matter. I claim what is mine, and mine alone. If there is to be a challenge, then I challenge the claim of these…people" he spit the last out with considerable venom.

Kim leaned over toward Tyrian. "This isn't one of these one on one, to the death type of sitch, is it?" she whispered.

"I'm afraid so."

_Ron, I can't kill him_ she sent to him, knowing what would be asked of her next.

_No, you can't _came his reply.

"Who will answer my challenge?" Darkoth said, holding his sword aloft with one hand.

Ron stepped forward, his sword crackling with energy. "Herald, if I win, does that mean these people are free to live their lives here?"

"Yes, human."

"And if I don't?"

"Then, by our laws, Darkoth is free to do as he pleases. Think carefully. You are not one of us. If no one answers his challenge, then it is up to the Emperor to decide their fate."

Kim could see the sweat on his brow, feel his panic as he stepped forward another pace. Only the faith these people had in him was buoying him now. He pointed his sword at the black and gold alien.

"In the name of these people, I accept his challenge." He raised the sword over his head, starting to spin it. "Time to open up some smack monkey." He said in a low voice.

Stunned into silence, all Kim could do was watch as the armored Torellian charged her husband. She was so engrossed in the battle she did not realize her silvery covering melting away, leaving her natural flesh in its wake. Much of her suit hung in tatters, no longer held together by the defense field her power generated.

Ron deflected blow after blow, the two combatant's swords spinning in the air, great showers of sparks shooting as the massive blades clashed in the square. Slowly a ring of watchers, some human, some Torellian formed around the dancing warriors.

Strength coursed through him like never before. Just as he had once told Kim to become one with a kitchen mixer, he now became one with his blade. It was not just an extension of his self, it was part of him, as if he had been born to wield it. His muscles did not start to burn, his bones did not start to ache. He was a weapon.

Why had that happened to him? Why was such a power thrust onto someone who abhorred this kind of violence. This wasn't him facing digitally created zombies, this was real, this was a flesh and blood being, a man just as human as he was. He may have been evil, or at least on a path to do evil, but that did not mean death. Why did it always have to end in death? It's like those movies made from all the old comic books, where in the end the villain always died, even if that villain had fought the hero for many years on the comics.

His power, the power granted so he could save lives, was one of destruction. He was meant to kill. That hurt him worse than Darkoth's blade ever could. Why was the fight always about death?

Another fight intruded on his consciousness, a fight he had never actually been in except in a timeline that was eventually destroyed. He only had this memory because he had touched an idol that had some power over time, an idol that had been the cause of that alternate life. He had touched space and time and was aware.

In the midst of the battle he had an epiphany. He was not just a weapon. He was the anchor. The fighting, that was just a small part of it. The true part he would play would be to act as the one who could hold onto time when the powers of the Trinity were finally used in concert. His was not the power to destroy alone, his was the power to preserve.

Another insight leaped into his mind. During that fight in that other life he had observed something about his enemy. _He's more machine than golfer now._

Darkoth was more machine than Torellian. That did not mean he had less worth or that he was not truly alive, but it gave him a chance, a way that would end the fight without death.

Ron struck.

The Torellian Governor of Troxxite had been so intent on preventing a death-blow from his smaller opponent he never expected this kind of attack. Ron's sword swept lower, striking its target in a shower of outraged energy and electrical sparks.

He was stunned as he fell over backwards, his bionic leg severed at the knee. In a flash, Ron's sword struck two more times.

In moments it was over, Ron standing over him, his sword pointed at his chest. The strength fled his body but he did not relax.

"Herald, it is my people's custom to spare a life when we have them at our mercy."

"Just do it, human scum! Kill me! Do it!"

"No." Ron said, throwing down his sword as if it were a poisonous snake.

The Herald nodded. "Then I judge this challenge done. Lord Vershalt, the world of Troxxite is yours. We shall soon meet with you to discuss our continued presence on your world."

Kim didn't hear any more. Ron seemed to stumble slightly, pulling at the catches of his remaining bits of armor. She got to him as the plates fell away and he dropped to his knees.

"Kim?"

"I'm here baby. I'm here."

"KP, I want to go home." Tears were rolling down his face.

"We will. As soon as we find a way, we will." She pulled him close, wishing she could take away the pain he was feeling in his heart, sharing it with him through their connection.

"Maybe they will…" he started before being cut off by a familiar, but totally unexpected sound.

BEEP BEEP DE BEEP!

They looked at each other, stunned.

BEEP BEEP DE BEEP!

"How…what? Is there a signal getting crossed with it?" he said, staring at her bracelet. A tiny green light was winking from the holographic emitter.

BEEP BEEP DE BEEP! It almost sounded as if it were growing impatient with them.

Kim hit the receive button, not knowing what she would see when it winked to life. She fell down on her own backside as Wade's image resolved. It was grainy and his voice was hard to make out, but it was definitely him.

"Kim, this is a one-way transmission. I have no idea if you're going to be able to receive this, but we just found out what they're planning to do with all of those things that were stolen. We think we know where you are and we hope Ron's with you, but we're putting together a team and taking the Trinity to Arkonia. If you get this, we'll try to meet you where you were before. Please be okay…"

The image dissolved, then reappeared, the message repeating itself.

They just stared at each other in shock.


	21. Leaving

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_ **

* * *

Chapter 21: Leaving

* * *

Trinity, also known as Trin, the artificial intelligence of the starship X.S.S. Trinity knew she was not a real person. She knew in very precise terms exactly what she was; she was the spacecraft itself. She was its brain, she was its body. She was an ultra-sophisticated collection of software in an ultra-sophisticated computer and control system built to operate and manage a high performance space-going yacht.

When the starship had been re-activated, it was discovered that the AI had been wiped clean. In order to make the ship function on a basic level, another ship's AI had been copied into its systems. While it had no personality of its own, it could respond to basic direction, allowing the humans to use it, though not at its full capacity. A twenty-fifth century AI was so complex it could not simply be booted up into the system, it had to develop a personality. It had to learn about itself and come to grips with that. That was all part and parcel of doing its job.

Since it had been created by humans, the AI very often behaved like a human, to the point it could learn to feel things. There was quite a lot of debate in the scientific community that created her about whether she could actually experience emotions of simply simulated them. Trin could remember hints of what her "template mother" had felt. That AI had never been allowed to be much more than just a ship's computer. Its user was uncomfortable with his ship taking on a human personality and that aspect was always suppressed. Feelings or not, that was part of its job and there were safeguards built into the programming that would ensure such directions were followed.

Things were different as Trin matured. A Ship-mind could become fully mature in about six months, especially when it is possible to take the craft on an extended shake-down cruise. Trin did not have that luxury. She understood exactly why she had to remain hidden most of the time in a hanger, why she was being poked and prodded by clumsy scientists who had no idea how most of her inner workings functioned. Logic told her all of this was wise and necessary. Yet it had not been so bad. Right from the beginning there had been one individual who, in effect, held her virtual hand as she matured. It certainly helped her through those early days, especially since he had an amazingly advanced grasp on how a computer mind, even one as advanced as hers, functioned.

She had been in storage for most of the five years since her reactivation, all save for a little jaunt she was forced to take when a device installed on her main core data trunk basically took over her whole system, almost wiping her out in the process. It was only her peculiar nature, being a copy of a copy that was in turn a copy of the first copy (don't worry about trying to follow that – time travel is involved and if a hyper-advanced computer can't quite figure it out then we're hopeless.) With the exception of the early-morning intrusion by Drakken and his step-daughter, relatively few people had actually been on board the ship for quite some time now. The scientists studying her had moved on to analysis of what they had actually learned and would likely not return until they had developed new ways to take her apart without damaging her. Even her human 'mentor' no longer came, though he spoke to her constantly using the system in his lab. To her it made no difference if he was physically on board or simply talking to her from a remote location. Her experience was mostly the same. She did enjoy the short trip into orbit two months ago, though if asked she would have confessed a desire to Hyperwarp out of the system with her two special passengers.

There was a surge in her central processor that could be interpreted at excitement when the overhead fluorescent lights of her hanger started coming to life. It wasn't like she needed that, or any of the other equipment in the crude structure. Her power and communications systems didn't need to be tied into the umbilical that sat retracted into the floor. In fact, the only thing she required to serve her humans was a full supply of fresh stores and for someone to actually open the hanger doors themselves. After the sabotage incident eighteen months earlier she had been placed inside an older structure with manual doors. Not that she couldn't tear through the thin steel and aluminum of the barrier, but it made the humans feel better.

If she could actually breath in the same way as a person, she would have been waiting with baited breath for that one particular human. Oddly enough, he had not yet appeared, though there was one fact that made her virtual excitement rise. Jump suited ground crew were boarding her with supplies. Her water tanks were drained and refilled. Granted, with her processing capacity that was a total waste of time, but it was another thing that made the organic minds feel better. Food, medicine and other supplies were brought on board as well. The manifest seemed to indicate she would be functioning with a fair number of people on board in the very near future, with a trip that would last from a week to a month. There was no way to tell, they could have been deliberately over-preparing. Not that it mattered to her, she would be satisfied with another quick orbital hop. Something in her partially military heritage made her crave some kind of action.

The real kicker came when they actually had some of the crew come in and make up every single stateroom on board, right down to the master suite. The large bed itself was well used by this point, but no one had used the secondary suite or any of the crew staterooms in her active memory. More and more she began anticipating an extended voyage, this time with a crew. She could quite easily function without a single soul, or with a small group of untrained spacefarers, but it was definitely more interesting to travel with more people to talk to.

Making a calculated guess, Trin decided to begin an extensive pre-flight diagnostic, a standard procedure when preparing to leave dock. Five minutes later she settled in to await her orders.

* * *

Sherry sat on the bench of the Space Center locker room, dressed only in an emerald green sports bra and black lycra tights, eyeing the strange garment warily. "The last time I saw one of these, it was white and I was being booted into a tower by the very person we're supposed to be flying off to rescue."

Mentally she counted down from three, expecting the western twanged voice from behind her. "If you've got a problem with that, Shego, why don't ya pack it in and go back to yer pretty little homestead and pretend yer a housewife some more."

"Because then I'd miss having to hear your sweet voice, Rawhide." She stepped into the black outfit, pulling it up her legs. Zipping up the front, she looked in the small mirror of the locker she had been provided. It was a standard version of the Team Possible Battle Suit, though the sleeves had been removed, leaving her arms bare from the shoulder down. A small flip up panel had been added to the equipment belt, replacing the status monitor normally located on the left sleeve.

"You know, I've got half a mind to wear one of my old suits over this thing. I'm not used to my arms being bare like this." She said, slipping a pair of black, claw tipped gloves into her belt. Looking into the mirror again, she frowned. "You know, every time I see this new logo of theirs, the first thing that comes to mind is 'toilet paper.'" She picked at the edges of the 'TP" monogram above her breast, finding it part of the fabric itself instead of a patch.

Yori was already fully dressed in her stock battlesuit, sitting reading the small manual Wade had provided each of them with. "Why is your suit constructed that way?"

"Nerd…I mean Load said he was afraid my plasma bolts might short out some of the systems. I really wished he'd have left the sleeves three quarters, but he pointed out that sometimes when I really put out the power, the plasma starts running up my arms."

"I have only seen pictures of you with it surrounding your hands and I understand you are quite powerful doing just that."

"Yeah. It used to be like that but the last time I really used my powers much some crap happened to me and now if I get the least bit emotional they start ramping up. Hopefully once we're off the ground I can get some real practice in with it."

"Why not practice here, where you can do so under controlled conditions?"

"Part of the deal I made with GJ. Like the cowgirl said, as long as I pretend to be nothing more than just a simple little housewife and keep my powers suppressed, they leave me alone."

"It just seems sad that you have to go against what you truly are simply to remain free."

"No kidding, sister. I'd like nothing better than to fire up, but I've got Amethyst to think about. She's more important than me getting my jollies using my powers."

"Your sacrifice for your child is an honorable path, Lipsky-san." Yori bowed slightly, going back to work on the controls of her suit. Sherry watched with interest as the glowing blue bands dimmed, then turned black, matching the rest of the suit. "There, that is more appropriate."

"Interesting." Sherry picked up the user's manual, eager to see just how customizable her suit really was.

* * *

"Admiral Hak Taag, I really appreciate your taking us to Arkonia." Kim said, feeling rather tiny among the muscular Torellians on the bridge of the transport ship.

"It's the least we could do after you exposed Governor Den Taag's illegal campaign against the Vershaltians. He's been a thorn in the side of this quadrant for too many years."

"It's no big, my Ron has the mad fu skills with a sword." She smiled at her husband, who was jumping around with an 'air' sword, battling some unseen foe.

"The Rondo came to play!" he shouted with a proud grin. He landed in a stance with his pretend sword held high. Apparently Vershaltian clothing wasn't designed with Torellian style combat in mind, as the trousers chose that particular moment to drop to the floor, the wooden toggle button bouncing away.

"Aw man, not in space too."

"Ron, quit playing around." Kim said, grinning despite herself.

"We will be in orbit in three days." The admiral said, graciously choosing to ignore the young man's faux pas. "While we should have no problem since this is the herald's personal transport along with all the diplomatic passes such a vessel must carry, but I do not know how the two of you will get past their security. His skills aside, I do not think your mate will be able to pass himself off as one of us."

"We'll think of something when the time comes. Just get us the planet and we'll take care of the rest."

"I have had quarters set aside for you and your mate. We have also repaired his armor, though your garment was beyond our capabilities. Unfortunately we have nothing in our stores that is appropriate for your human stature."

"I'll make do." Kim was dressed entirely in Vershaltian clothing, making her think she looked like a middle age peasant girl. Once she had changed back from her 'Hand of the Effurien" form not much had remained of her super suit. Apparently as long as she remained in that metallic form something held together whatever she was wearing, but once it was gone, the protective field collapsed, allowing the damage it would have received to be revealed. She was forced to watch the remainder of the ceremonies following Ron's battle holding the outfit together, not certain how the Torellians would react to a nearly naked human. The appreciative glances she got from the Vershaltian men made it quite clear how they reacted to her.

Ron was struggling with the leather strings that held his pants together, trying to lace them through the remains of the button. Slipping easily into mother-hen mode Kim helped him tie them off. "You'd think these people had heard of belt loops." He grinned.

"Come on, Warrior Hero. You need to get some rest." She led him off the bridge toward their quarters. The ship was bright and clean, not exactly what they were expecting from a culture described as a 'Warrior Race.' Then again, the only thing they really had to compare them to were the Corpulons and their dark, dank, dirty looking starships on _Space Passage_. Then again, it made a lot more sense to keep a starship, especially a military vessel as clean as possible.

"Mmmm, maybe we both could do with a little rest." He wiggled one eyebrow, implying he had a lot more on his mind than just sleeping.

Much as Kim liked the notion of some alone time with him, she knew he was literally running on fumes. Eventually the last few days were going to catch up to him. "Rest, as in sleep, as in you just about collapsed out there from exhaustion."

"I dunno, KP, I think that was more from lack of snackage than anything else, and that was one bon-diggity feast they gave us before we left."

"I was worried you were going to start an interstellar incident with your table manners. Who'd have thought there would be a whole colony of people who eat like you do."

"I think they were just happy to have their village back. They were in the mood to par-tay hard." They reached the indicated space. The door opened into a small room, complete with two narrow bunks and what appeared to be fold-down facilities. The whole 'stateroom' resembled low-level officer's quarters on an aircraft carrier.

Kim was thinking the same thing. "Well, I guess snuggling is out of the question anyway. Reminds me of the time we spent the night on the U.S.S. Enterprise."

Ron was already sitting on the lower bunk, slipping out of his deerskin-like vest. The same man who was actually leering at her just minutes ago suddenly slumped in on himself, looking utterly and totally beat. "So, how are we going to sneak into a whole planet?" he yawned, working on the laces of his leather boots.

"I'm working on it. We've got three days to come up with something." She stripped down to the under-tunic of the dress as Ron stretched out on the bunk, his muscles obviously slowing down.

"Ow, I never thought I'd feel like I was sixty-two at twenty-two. Sorry, KP, I think the 'Ron-shine' store is closed for repairs."

She kneeled at the edge of the bunk, leaning over to give him a warm kiss. Pulling back when she didn't get the response she expected, she realized he was already fast asleep. She kissed him again and curled up next to him, pulling the covers over them, thankful that the bunk was made for the greater bulk of a Torellian. It was still slightly smaller than Ron's childhood bed, but they had made do with that before.

Kim was just as exhausted as Ron was, sleep claiming her almost as quickly.

* * *

The doors slid open at the rear of the complex, facing the large landing strip of the Middleton Space Center. Five intrepid space explorers strode onto the field, their uniforms gleaming in the late summer sunlight. All save for one who wouldn't put the Team Possible super-suit on for love or money, even if that meant broiling in his trademark dark blue lab coat.

Wade Load, Sherry "Shego" Lipsky, Jocelyn "Joss" Possible, Drew "Doctor Drakken" Lipsky and Yori, Guardian of the Lotus Blade walked across the tarmac in a solid, unbroken line toward one of the larger hangers. The doors of the round topped building started rolling aside, revealing the craft inside.

Wade and Joss were both wearing standard suits, the power bands glowing blue, while Yori's suit was now solid black. The Lotus Blade, still stuck in the form of the Blade of the Effurien, was sheathed across her back.

Sherry, like her husband, stood out from the rest of them. After some fiddling with the controls of her suit she found the settings she wanted. The mutable fabric had changed, the power bands now partially reshaped, mimicking the patterns of her old Team Go uniform. The outfit was still mostly black, but the realigned power bands now glowed a bright emerald green. Black leather gloves, rolled back in the style of her one-time nemesis completed her ensemble. She wore a smile of smug satisfaction, now truly comfortable, especially since she found a way to make the uniform cover up the "TP" monogram.

Halfway across the tarmac, Drakken stopped in his tracks. "Just what the heck is _that_?" he asked, pointing toward the hanger.

A tractor had hooked up to the front of the craft, pulling it out onto the field. First the great, pointed nose emerged, then the wings, finally followed by the tail. Instead of a wingless, ovoid wedge with two large ion engines in the tail, the familiar shape of a Boeing 747 sat there, awaiting the quintet of adventurers and former criminals.

"That's our ride." Wade said, trying to hide his smug smile.

"What, a passenger jet? And one that's about twenty years out of date? What are you, some kind of buffoon, Load? What are we supposed to do? Fly that to our ship? I thought the Trinity was kept right here."

"Oh, that is the Trinity. The Seven Four Seven is just a holographic projection around the real ship to keep prying eyes from seeing a spaceship getting ready to launch."

"Oh, and like the airline you chose is supposed to make me feel better." Drakken groused. "I watch TV, I know exactly what Oceanic Airlines is."

"Wow, and I thought everybody forgot about that one overnight after it was cancelled." Wade opened a panel on his more complex looking gauntlet, exposing a tiny keyboard and screen. He touched a control and a ramp descended, emerging as if by magic from the belly of the phantom airplane, the holographic field not intended to encompass the lower hatchway.

"So we're out here doing the 'hero walk' from every NASA launch in history, and there's not a single camera to record it?" Sherry asked, looking at the empty field.

"Well, what do you think, Shego? Oh, look at these here varmints, about to fly into space in a yacht that doesn't officially exist. Get real." Joss sneered at her.

"I'm just saying somebody here's got a flair for the dramatic. Wouldn't it have been easier just to take the underground tunnel to the hanger."

"Yeah, I bet you do like all that underground stuff, Shego. Maybe that's why yer so pale."

Sherry stopped in her tracks and faced the smaller woman. "Listen, cow chip, I've had it up to here with you and your cuts." she held her hand a foot over her head, "Like it or not, you're going to be cooped up in that ship with me for almost three days _at least_ so if you're just going to bitch at me, then we're having it out right here and right now.

"I didn't even want to be taken along on this little joy ride except for two things. One, my husband tells me I'm critical to the mission. How, I don't even pretend to understand, that's his department, but if he says so, I do. I did that when he was a raving loon, I did that when he started making sense and I still do it now that he thinks he's some kind of wizard. Got that? And more important than that, I'm going because somebody who was willing to be my friend even though I tried to do her and her husband in over and over is in trouble. Now if you want to go, I'll go right now and let me tell you, Kimmie could barely keep up with me and you are no Princess!"

Joss backed up a few steps from the enraged woman. The whole time she had been raging at the teenager her skin had been slowly changed, from the fair peach complexion she normally had to a light mint green color, making her look almost white. Her eyes went from dark brown to emerald green, the irises looking as if they were composed of green fire. A light green halo of energy started forming around her hands.

"I told you before, Shego, I don't like you. Like Ron always said, you're five hundred miles a bad road. If it were up to me, you'd still be sitting in prison for what you did. Daddy lost a hundred head of cattle to your damned Diablos."

"Oh, so now it comes out. You're not so worried about a career _that I renounced_, you're just upset 'cause your Daddy lost some cows? Give me a break."

If Sherry hadn't ducked in time, Joss' roundhouse punch might very well have broken her jaw, her super-suit glowing brightly, adding to her speed and reflexes. She continued to dodge the fast, but ill-timed punches from the enraged teen.

_Kim never lost her cool like that in a fight_ she thought, blocking another jab.

Suddenly a large figure stepped between the two of them. "Ladies, please." Drakken said. "If the two of you want to have it out, let's do it once the job is done. And you, young missy, if you want somebody to blame for the Diablo bots, then you need to come to me. My wife knew almost nothing of my plan until the last second and she still nearly got killed over it."

"Maybe the two of you should have been killed over that! People died trying to stop those things, thousands, maybe millions more would have if Kim hadn't stopped you. Now you and your…wife just get to walk around free, playing the hero now because it suits you? That's not how it's supposed to work. Pretending you're the good-guy doesn't pay back all the evil you've done…"

"Possible-san" Yori put a hand on the younger one's shoulder.

Joss just shrugged it off. "How many people get sent to prison for some small time crime. They do their time and get out, but you, just because they can't seem to keep you in prison, you get to stay out simply because somebody…"

"Joss." Yori's hand clamped onto her shoulder, a bit firmer this time.

Yori's use of her nickname shocked her. The two of them had bonded over the last few days, but the older woman had never once called her anything but 'Possible-san.' "I agree that the good they do now can never repay the evil they have done before, but this is not up to you or any of us to decide. The decision has already been made and we need them.

"Look at them. They have been given a second chance, partly by Kim Stoppable-san herself. What have they done with that chance? They are honoring it. You would be right in your actions if they had thrown it back in our faces, but they have not. By their own free will they are standing here with us today."

"But…they're crim…"

"Joss, I am your friend, but if you cannot work with them, then it is best you remain behind and assist your other cousins on their missions." Yori said finally, her head held high, her arms crossed.

"Let's just get on the ship." Joss said, pushing past the rest of them.

"Uh, thanks." Sherry said to Yori as the teen mounted the ramp into the XSS Trinity.

"Do not thank me, Lipsky-san. I said that because I honor Ron Stoppable-san and his wife, not because I do not believe as Possible-san does. I too saw the damage your robots did all around Japan and I would just as soon see you in prison for the rest of your life." With that she walked away from the green skinned woman, joining the teen on board.

Wade followed last as the Lipskys boarded, thinking _This is going to be a long trip_.

* * *

The big house was fun! That was the thought foremost in the mind of young Amethyst Lipsky. Full of the seemingly limitless energy of toddlers, she ran up and down the stairs, even bounding up into Joss' room. If the nearly grown teen had been home to see it, she probably would have been upset, being much more private about her room than its original occupant.

Anne and James Possible had given up trying to keep up with the little girl. She was incredibly sweet and seemed very mature and intelligent for her age, but there really wasn't that much difference in the maturity of a six year old and that of a three and a half year old like she really was. The elder Possibles had to admit, the child was a lot like three other youngsters had been at that age. The only problem, both of them were almost fourteen years younger at the time.

Eventually Amethyst ran out of steam and, as children her age were wont to do, she found a nice comfortable spot and curled up asleep, clutching her battered, once incredibly valuable Pandaroo Superstar edition tightly. The only problem was she was asleep in the center of Joss' bed.

Anne found her that way and covered her up, not wanting to disturb her. Joss was 'out of town' anyhow, so what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, at least as long as Ammie didn't start gnawing on her stuffed longhorn dolls.

Late in the afternoon, Ammie suddenly sat up in the bed, almost in a panic. The blinds had been drawn over the windows, but the low afternoon sun was streaming in around the slats, bathing the pink and gray room in an eerie glow. That wasn't what had awakened her.

Ever since she had learned to walk and talk, Ammie had been a Daddy's girl. She worshiped the ground her 'blue Daddy' walked on and he tended to spoil her rotten in return. Be that as it may, she shared a special bond with her mother that simply was not possible with the man she called Daddy. She was touched with a power that came from both her natural parents, creating a connection that went far beyond even the closest of normal familiar ties. In essence, she could sense where her mother was at all times.

Now her mother was moving away from her at great speed, greater speed than she could comprehend. The sensation sent a wave of sadness and despair. She liked 'Uncle' James and 'Aunt' Anne a whole lot, but the thought that her mother was leaving her behind like this tore at her in ways she could not yet put into words.

A normal child, presented with that kind of fear would most likely have screamed. Instead, instincts took over, drawing on the part of her power she had gotten from her father, her real father. Without even the slightest inkling of how she was actually doing it, she threw her hands out.

The air swirled in front of her, little motes of lights coalescing into a disk of silvery light. Somehow, instinctively, she knew that she would find her mother in that glowing pool. Without fear, she stepped into it.

In the blink of an eye, the lens dissipated, leaving the darkening room empty, the well chewed plush toy sitting alone on the bed.


	22. Dress for Success

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_

* * *

**

Chapter 22: Dress for Success

* * *

The tiny crew cabin wasn't made for comfort, at least with the exception of the beds themselves. Just like its Earth-bound military counterparts, space was considered a premium. There was a spartan, metal dresser that doubled as a desk, all of which could partially fold up out of the way. It all came down to the fact the space was intended for an officer to get his rest and prepare himself for duty, nothing more. It was not a living space, it was a sleeping space. 

Kim had been awake for some time, though she really didn't want to move. Ron was curled up against her back, one hand tucked under her waist, the other, well, it was resting where it often did when they slept in such cramped quarters. She really didn't know why she was so loath to actually get up. They had been down for almost ten hours now, though not all of that time had been spent actually sleeping. At first, after a short nap, Kim had climbed into the upper bunk so she could stretch out a little better, only to find herself staring at the metal ceiling just three feet above her. After spending about an hour of drifting in and out of sleep she took the pillow and climbed back into the lower bunk with Ron. In minutes she was as sound asleep as he was.

Twisting slightly, she shifted a little tighter into his embrace. In reality she wanted a few things, not the least of which was a pot of coffee. Not that it was likely the Torellians actually had anything that resembled the brew. That didn't help the fact she still wanted it. She also wanted a nice long shower, especially considering the sweat the two of them had worked up in the middle of the 'night.' (There was no true night time – crew slept when they were off shift.)

Thinking along those lines she considered waking Ron. There really wasn't much space in the bunk, but they made do just fine. It reminded her of all the times when they had been younger when they had been tempted to become more intimate, the attempts to find a place private and secret enough, sometimes in very small spaces just like this. Only now, not only being adults but married adults the layer of guilt was stripped away, leaving only the physical difficulties. Not that it mattered in the long run, given their 'where there's a will there's a way' attitude. They also discovered it was easier to be quiet if they were kissing at that special time, not knowing how soundproof the interior walls of the spacecraft were.

Both Ron's hands tightened on her just slightly as his body started moving slowly against hers. She could feel his lips on her neck. He was awake. Oh, he was most definitely awake. "Mmmm, I like your wake-up calls." She whispered, twisting around to meet his lips with hers, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

Many minutes later they finally managed to get out of bed. Kim stood up straight in the narrow floor space, stretching toward the ceiling. As usual, Ron made sure to watch the morning ritual, enjoying it all the more so since she wasn't wearing her usual bed clothes like her old sweats or his old red jersey.

"Any idea what they have for a shower." She said, finally dropping her arms.

"I think you're standing in it." He said, pointing up. Sure enough, there was a sort of nozzle with many small holes there, surrounded by some kind of ring. The floor was very slightly concave, with a drain located in the middle.

"How in the world?" She asked, staring up at it. "I don't see any kind of controls." She dropped to her knees, looking through the empty drawers of the dresser. The door-less closet near the entrance was completely empty as well. "No towels, no soap. Are you sure that's what this is?"

Ron found a set of controls near the door. They were marked in script they assumed was Torellian and, even if it had been in Arkonian they had no reason to believe their mysterious command of the spoken language extended to reading. Since he couldn't read it, he did the next best thing.

He started pressing buttons. The first one caused an audible clicking sound from the door. He pulled on it, finding it now locked. "Okay, that would have been nice to know about last night." The next one was clearly the lights. They wouldn't completely go off, but he could set them at one of three levels, finally selecting the brightest.

Finally he hit pay dirt. The ring above Kim lit up with a soft pink/purple light and a series of bars on the control panel lit up. One, then two of the bars winked off. It was a timer. Making a quick judgment of the size of the ring, he moved quickly to stand right with her, just in time for the bars to run out.

A cylinder of light formed around them, just as lukewarm water started spraying out of the nozzle, running just long enough to thoroughly soak them. There was a chime, then the spray started again, this time covering them with a slightly soapy smelling solution. As quickly as it stopped they set to helping each other scrub the hard-to-reach spots. There was a chime and the water started again, rinsing them off quickly."

"We still don't know how we're going to get dry." Kim said as the water stopped. Just about that moment the force field keeping the water contained in the shower area started to contract. They both yelped, but there was no place to run so they let it run its course. The whole thing shut off completely, leaving them clean and mostly dry (it didn't do too well on Kim's hair.) The whole thing had taken approximately three minutes.

"That was…quick." He said, looking up at the projector ring.

"May be something to do with conserving resources. Remember, the Trinity was built as a luxury yacht and when we were on it we were alone. It had the means to reprocess all the water on board, so we really wouldn't run out." She said. "I've heard about submarine crews having to take two-minute showers or something like that. They've got a fairly big crew on this ship and it's not much bigger than Trin." She said, using the ship avatar's nickname. "Now, I just want to know one more thing." She said, still looking up. "Do these Torellians actually pee?"

Ron glanced around, then went to a section of wall with some empty shelves. He pulled on a panel, which folded downwards, revealing the room's facilities.

Kim, who remained very private about that sort of thing, no matter how intimate she was with her husband, stood there, a look of utter horror frozen on her otherwise pretty features.

* * *

It was starting to become clear why Sherry Lipsky had finally cut off a large portion of her hair. Kim's was now almost as long as the former villainess', tapering to a point just past her waistline. At least that's how it normally was. The 'drying' properties of the 'shower curtain' worked fine on their bodies, but as it appeared the Torellians didn't have hair, it just didn't have the oomph to work on her considerable mane. It now hung limply down her back, feeling heavier than ever. For the first time she was thinking it might even be a liability in the field. She had discounted the notion when Sherry related the story of how Aviarius once grabbed her by her raven locks, almost snapping her neck.

She was back in the Vershaltian dress, it literally being the only clothing she had at the moment. The outfit wasn't exactly the most comfortable she had ever worn, being made of cruder materials than she was used to, not to mention the fact she thought it looked like what Cinderella wore when she was working for her evil stepmother. It wasn't exactly her look.

Ron, on the other hand, couldn't stop smirking at her.

"What?" she said as their escort led them through the ship.

"Nothing. Just think you look like the girl in _The Little Mermaid_ dressed like that."

She snorted, trying to stifle a laugh at the image. She had the right hair color and all. Still, she was glad he was speaking English. They had no idea how many of the Torellians actually spoke Arkonian, though it wasn't probable that any of them would have any idea what the reference meant anyway.

The language thing was really starting to make her wonder. Kim had taken enough language courses to notice some similarities between Arkonian and some early European languages. That, combined with the fact all the natives of that planet they had seen were apparently very similar to typical Western Europeans made her wonder about the origin of the culture. After all, they had proven so far to be just as human as they were. It would be interesting to see how that bore out under genetic examination.

When their escort had come to their quarters they had just finished with a second shower. Figuring the intent of the limited time was for individual warriors they took a second turn at it, this time able to time their effort better with the programmed steps. Kim wound her hair up around her head to keep it out of the spray as much as possible, fluffing it out as much as possible when the curtain contracted over them. Ron even mentioned the feeling of it whisking the water off them was kind of invigorating. That's not exactly how Kim would describe it, but she didn't want to think along those lines until it was time for bed again.

The knock on the door seemed to be a universal sign that someone wished to enter. Automatically Kim shouted "We'll be just a minute" as they gathered their clothes. It took her a moment to realize she had spoken in English, though it had the desired effect. The soldier sent to bring them to the Herald's quarters waited patiently as they dressed, politely gesturing the way he wished to lead them. It was entirely likely he spoke only Torellian.

He led them to an ornate, double door at the end of the main passageway, not fifty feet from their quarters. The doors themselves seemed out of place on the austere cruiser. A pair of ceremonial guards (who were likely as deadly as their over-decorated weaponry looked) wordlessly opened the doors, admitting just the two humans.

"Friends, welcome." The Herald said jovially as they entered the sumptuous quarters. They easily took up a third of the ship, a space apparently maintained simply for the man and his family. Waiting patiently behind him were the first Torellian women either of them had seen.

One was as tall and regal looking as the Herald, leading the young couple to assume she might be his 'mate,' a term they had heard used to describe their relationship on numerous occasions. Her armor had many of the same designs as his, but the most obvious indication of their relationship was the shape of the 'horns' on her ornate helmet, their form acting as a sort of familial crest.

The other woman was easily the smallest Torellian they had seen to date. She was quite literally Kim's size, leading her to wonder if she was actually a child. She soon found she was right.

"I was told that in the battle, your…armor was destroyed." He said to Kim. "As my Captain told you, we do not possess the skill to repair the technology, but I humbly apologize that we did not have something appropriate for a warrior matron of your status."

"I understand, your honor. My stature is somewhat smaller than your people, I would not expect such a gift from them." She said humbly.

Berek Den Maak reached up and did something they learned would be considered a very surprising gesture. He took his helmet off, handing it to a servant who silently appeared and disappeared. "It is my people's custom to honor warriors such as yourselves. Even though you are not of our people, you represent the highest ideals we strive for: Bravery, honor, skill. You have also done a great service to us by your example.

"Let me speak to you of Governor Den Taag. It is by no accident he was assigned to control such a distant sector of our realm. By virtue of his birth, he was guaranteed some position of honor, as he is in the succession to the throne, albeit a distant one. He has proven to be both ambitious and impatient, but not wholly with honor. After nearly disgracing himself in a battle with the Republic, it was decided by our Glorious Emperor to send him to this place, making him the voice of the Imperial Court in a place where there were few he could oppress.

"Den Taag we later found out had forged close ties with the leadership of the Arkonians. We knew there was a colony on Troxxite, but we were unaware of their relationship with those in power on their homeworld. When the governor revealed their existence, an order was dispatched to eliminate them by any means necessary.

"I will be the first to admit to you, I care little about the fate of the colony myself. I have the interests of three billion Torellians to worry about. By the same token I would not wish any ill to befall them. It is the fact that Den Taag was willing to commit treason by selling his favor to the Arkonians yet saying he was acting in the name of the Emperor. I'm sure you will agree that the end result was satisfactory."

"Except if I lost, then all those people would probably be dead now." Ron said, more than a little angry at the seeming indifference from the man.

"But you did win, and in doing so cemented the status of the colony as the rightful owners of not only their lands but the world they rest upon. It is for that bravery we revere and salute you." He waved a hand at the petite warrior standing nearby.

"I present to you my adopted daughter, hand-maiden-in-training and Princess of the realm, fifth in line to the throne itself, Joaam Del Maath."

The girl nodded at the couple, then pulled her own helmet off.

She was the first of her race they had seen with hair. Her skin was just as pale as her adopted father's and her hair was just as pale, somewhere between platinum blonde and pure white. Her mane was long, easily as long as Kim's, though it did not cover her head completely, making her look like she had an extremely long face. Most of the hair was caught up into a very long ponytail, with a single lock draped over her face. That part had been dyed with a streak of black and red, though whether that had any significance they had no clue."

"Friends, I must thank you." She began in an almost musical voice. She was clearly young, both Ron and Kim had the impression she was somewhere between twelve and fourteen years old. "I find myself indebted to you for helping to spare the life of my honored half brother."

"Half brother?" both of them asked at once. _Jinx, you owe me coffee_ Kim thought at Ron, not knowing if their link was working at the moment.

_Only if I'm sharing the pot with you_ he sent back.

"General Sagan Del Maath and I have the honor of sharing the same father." She said, bowing slightly at the mention of her brother.

"Our adoption of her is an honorary position, as it is our duty to prepare her for her life in the court. She is currently the only female high enough in the succession to claim the title of Princess and his most Imperial Highness has honored us with the task of completing her training. Now, as such a debt requires, she had offered a gift as a token of that debt."

"My honored father has expressed his apologies that we cannot provide proper raiment for you, K'im St'ap'able." She said, stumbling over her name, trying to add the more familiar diphthongs of her native language. It was the only flaw in her perfect grasp of Arkonian.

Moving for the first time since they entered, she pulled a curtain back, revealing two suits of armor on display stands.

The first was obviously the same armor Ron had been wearing since he was first outfitted for the fight in the arena, though now it had been properly repaired, possibly for the first time since it was originally constructed. The black and gold panels gleamed in the light and there was no trace of the blast points that had been visible. A cape of dark tan material, joined with a short length of silver chain had been added to the ensemble. He wondered if the armorer had wondered what had become of the helmet, unless he had actually been told a human was to wear it.

To the right of his armor was another set, unlike anything they had yet seen. It consisted of a mostly black body suit with metallic silver panels on the outside of both the arms and legs. Over the body suit was what looked slightly like a Chinese dress made of interlinking panels of emerald green material, most likely some type of metal anodized with the color. It shone brilliantly even in the subdued light of the Herald's quarters.

"Wow." Was all Kim could say as the young Torellian maiden led them to inspect their gifts.

"When Father told me there was no armor on board that would fit you, I suggested that it would be fitting to give you a set of mine. It is not full combat armor such as your Honored Mate's, but it is at least fitting for one such as yourself to wear."

"It's beautiful." Kim said, inspecting the green outer layer. It was designed to sit high on the hips, with narrow panels like loincloths hanging down past the knees in the front and back.

Joaam closed the curtain, politely shooing Ron out. Then she started helping Kim out of her crude Vershaltian clothing. Biting her lower lip, she assumed that this was expected. As part of her gift to her, the maiden helped her put the suit on, showing her how each part worked. The inner suit was not terribly different than her ruined super suit, though it lacked any of the sophisticated technology. The fit was absolutely perfect, the young woman explaining the fabric would mold itself properly to her body automatically.

The biggest surprise was that the green outer layer seemed almost weightless. It hung on her like an expensive cocktail dress. If it were not for the extremely high hips, she could have worn it by itself, though her sense of modesty would most likely prevent it. The ensemble was completed with a matching set of black leather gloves and knee-high boots that turned down about ten inches.

Finally, Joaam pulled her hair up into a similar ponytail, pulling one strand loose to hang across her face. She tied it off with what looked for all the world like a black scrunchie.

"I…I must beg your forgiveness if I have assumed incorrectly." She said, judging Kim's expression to be one of confusion. "I know that you are life-mated, but because of your age I thought that perhaps you had not yet borne him a son."

"Is that what the hairstyle means?" Kim asked.

"The lock in front means you have not had a son. The rest is simply to meant to fit comfortably into a proper helmet."

"Oh, well, then you're correct. I haven't had a son or a daughter yet. Ron and I have been marr…life-mated for just a couple months now. Does the color have any special meaning?"

Joaam smiled warmly for the first time since she'd removed her helmet. "No. It only serves to annoy my honored birth-Father. That is why he makes me cut it short so it does not hang below my helmet."

"Oh." Kim said, smiling back knowingly. She thought back to her form of harmless youthful rebellion. Funny that now that for the first time in years she had gone over a week without wearing a bra.

Joaam pulled the curtain back. You would have thought by Ron's expression she was once again wearing that old black dress she bought when she was a teenager. It was especially amazing since it covered every square inch of her body from the neck down.

"KP, that is absolutely badical." He half spoke, half whispered in awe. He had spoken in English, but apparently everyone else knew from his tone that he really, really appreciated his wife in her new 'suit of armor.'

Kim grinned wickedly as Joaam led him behind the curtain. Moments later she heard him saying, "Hey…uh, what are you doing? Whoa, I'm a happily married man."

"Calm down in there, Rondo. She's just doing her job. Just get into your suit as quickly as possible and it'll all be fine." Kim said with a laugh.

A few minutes later the curtain was drawn back again. Kim smiled warmly at him, appreciating the sight of him all done up in armor just as he had her. "Mmmm," she whispered, adding in English "you're so handsome I want to get you back out of that…later."

"Booyah." He whispered back.

* * *

Almost a day had gone by since the Trinity left Earth. As quickly as they had left the atmosphere they had accelerated into Hyperspace, lessening the chance that they could be spotted. Sophisticated electronics prevented any known technology from spotting them, but there was always the outside chance that somebody might be looking right in their direction with a telescope. The outer skin of the ship could change color and had adopted a very dark blue hue that was difficult to see against the inky blackness of space, but the ship itself was not capable of becoming completely invisible. Wade even got Drakken to finally admit the cloaking device of his hover-lair had itself been stolen and all the plans for it were destroyed along with the lair itself. Wade's own holographic stealth technology could make the ship look like an airplane, but he had not been able to make something that large appear invisible like his later series Wade-bots.

All in all, however, they left the planet uneventfully. Within hours they had already settled into a sort of routine.

Sherry and Drakken had both been in space before, though only in near-Earth orbit. They both quickly became bored watching energy motes fly by in Hyperspace, looking all the world like the stars on the viewscreen of shows like _Space Passage_. She quickly claimed the corner of one of the couches in the main parlor while Drakken launched into a highly technical discussion with Wade.

Yori at first wished she could have some time to just talk with Wade, but quickly realized he was much more in his element talking to the former mad scientist. She was quite well educated, but she was certainly not on his level. Their journey was planned to take three days, so there would be plenty of time to speak to him. Much as she wanted to perhaps do a little more than talk, she would not. For one, he had so far only agreed to a first date with her at some future time. Any assumption that he was more than basically attracted to her was just that, an assumption and she would never make that kind of move on just an assumption. Then there was the fact that, by his customs, he was still a minor. Even the date itself would have to be by permission of his parents. That was simply the way she had been raised.

That didn't stop her from thinking about what kissing him might be like, and not just chaste pecks like she had given Stoppable-san on several occasions.

Instead, she found herself sitting in the forward observation lounge with Joss, basically engaging in 'girl-talk' but mostly staring outside at the wonder that was the universe.

"Okay, Folks" came Wades' voice over the intercom. "We're thirty minutes away from making our Telewarp jump. It's probably best if everyone is up here on the bridge and strapped in."

Minutes later all five of them were there getting ready. Theoretically the super-jump was safe, but it was known that most people experienced some mild distress, from nausea to blacking out following the jump. It was easier for them all to be together, in case anyone got in trouble.

Sherry was just finishing latching her harness when she noticed something. "Hey, the rest of you. Be quiet a second." Anger flashed in her eyes, which like the rest of her, had turned back to their natural color once she calmed down. "SHUT UP A SECOND!" She shouted at the other quartet.

That got them to be quiet for a few seconds at least. She strained her ears, trying to decide if she had heard what she did.

"What is it?" Wade asked, confused by the silence except for the distant hum of the drive.

"I don't know. I could have sworn I heard crying just then."

"Cryin'?" Joss asked. "You sure you didn't leave your soaps runnin' on the monitor downstairs?"

"That is not possible." Trin reported. "I shut down any unused monitor when a person leaves the room. All the monitors onboard, save those here on the bridge and those in engineering…wait."

"What is it, Trin?" Wade asked.

"Activating internal sensors." She said. "I'm reading the monitor in the master stateroom as being active."

"What? We haven't even gone in there." Sherry said, a little of her earlier pique rising again. She had been assigned, along with her husband, the smaller, secondary stateroom, while the rest of them took individual crew quarters. The master stateroom had gone unused. She argued that if nobody else was using it, at least the two of them could enjoy the space. Wade then told them in no uncertain terms that, until Amethyst was old enough to take ownership of the Trinity, that room was Kim and Ron's…period. Drakken almost launched into his trademark 'diffy dance' but once they saw just how much space the secondary room had, they both backed down. (Drakken actually was a little relieved when Sherry explained to him just why the main room belonged to his former teen foes.)

"Um. Folks." Trinity said. "I don't know how she got on board, but we have ourselves a stowaway."

Sherry's eyes shot open as she realized exactly what the avatar might have meant by 'she!' She punched out of her harness and was headed down the spiral stairs in a flash.

The sound became clearer as she approached the door. It had been locked, but knowing what the frantic mother was going to find, Trin unlocked it just before she reached it. She skidded to a halt just inside the door.

The crying had indeed come from the monitor. There was some kind of children's show playing, with a brightly colored creature of some sort making nonsense sounds that did indeed occasionally sound like a child alternately laughing and crying.

That wasn't what brought her up short. There, in the middle of the monster sized bed was a little girl with long, dark brown hair, wearing a purple and black jumper. She was curled up tight, holding one of the small throw pillows like it was a stuffed animal, sound asleep, though her cheeks were streaked with partially dried tears.

"Amethyst?" Sherry said in hushed whisper.

* * *

Kim Possible and Related Characters © Disney. Intergalax, Trinity and related characters © 


	23. A Giant Leap

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 23**

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Sherry couldn't believe what she was seeing. Twenty-two hours ago she had handed her child to the parents of a woman she used to hate with a burning passion. It was so strange they had become the two people she could trust the most with her only child, the one being in the world who had the power to change the course of her life. The one person in the world she knew without a moment's hesitation that she would kill or die for, even beyond her husband or the few people she was learning to count as friends. There they were, not only willing but happy to take the child into their care. They may not have shared any bond of blood with the girl, but there was honest affection, even love in their eyes. It put her heart at ease to leave her with them

Yet here was the same child she had seen on the monitor, sleeping in Kim's Mother's arms as were about to leave direct communications range. They had already cleared the solar system and were getting ready to accelerate even further, planning to reach their jump-point within the carefully planned window. She stared at the child soundly sleeping on the bed_. How long had she been there? How on Earth did she get here anyway?_

"Computer, how long has she been here?" She said.

"I don't know. I have not been continuously been running full internal sensors. The last time I was in space, my passengers wanted privacy, especially in this room and Wade has not yet countermanded that order. If it helps, the programming she selected for the monitor has been running for approximately three hours."

Sherry growled, knowing exactly why the 'previous passengers' wanted the sensors turned off. In the process of trying to act like a 'girlfriend' with Kimmie they had gotten into some 'dishing the dirt' on their husbands, bragging, in fairly general terms, about their prowess in certain areas. Kim knew she was aware of the starship, so there wasn't any point to keeping that detail away when they were comparing their respective 'first times.' She still couldn't quite believe the Princess had managed to wait until she was twenty, especially considering how wrapped up she was in Stoppable.

Trinity's voice interrupted her reverie. "Mrs. Lipsky, I'd suggest you get her strapped in safely. We have seven minutes until Telewarp."

"No!" She rushed to the bed and scooped her daughter up in her arms. Amethyst started to stir but didn't cry once she realized she was in her mother's arms. She mounted the stairs two at a time. Four sets of eyes were on her as she reached the bridge, five if you counted Trin's visual sensors.

"Look, Load, we're turning around right now and heading back for home." She said frantically, holding her child close to her breast.

Wade just shook his head sadly. "We can't do that, if we go back now we'll lose out window and we'll have to make three jumps instead of one and that means we'll be too late according to your husband's calculations."

"Not to interrupt everybody, but the countdown is still running. Telewarp jump will commence in T-minus five minutes…mark."

Drakken pivoted in his seat to face her. His eyes looked almost sad. It would have been almost comical to see him, his skin an illusory normal skin-tone, his eyes wide, his face full of compassion. You would have never known this was the same man who once unleashed almost a million cybertronic killer robots in a bid to take over the entire world. "Shego, Doctor Load is correct, we have to go and we have to go now. I suggest you quit whining and get our daughter buckled in as best you can." He said in a soft, kind voice.

"Drak…Drew, listen to me, we…are…not…taking…her!" she raged back at him, nonplussed by his tone.

"Look, Sherry, we're already past the go/no-go stage. Put her in a seat and buckle her in. It's too late." Wade said, waving his open hand at the empty seat she had been in a few minutes earlier.

"Telewarp jump in t-minus four minutes. Initiating Hyperwarp acceleration." Trin said, a little anxiety creeping into her voice. Unless Wade (or technically Amethyst) countermanded it, she was forced to continue the countdown unless a clear danger was present. She knew the jump was physically disconcerting to humans, but it was not manifestly dangerous.

"No, you aren't listening…" She begged, looking at the two men.

Drakken cut her off, his voice still gentle, but with a slight edge of his usual impatience slipping in. "No Shego, you're not listening. If we'd found her ten minutes ago it would be different. Strap her in and sit down!"

"What about Aunt Anne and Uncle James?" Joss asked. "They've got to be plum worried sick over her."

Sherry shot Joss a look that said _what the hell do you care, cow chip?_

"I've already sent a quick text message to them over the burst transmitter that she's with us. At least they won't have to worry what happened to her, though I bet they've been in a panic for a while looking for her."

"Yeah, I'd bet they'd be worried, especially considering what they know Shego would do to them if something happened to her little girl."

"You little bitch. I'm talking about the safety of my daughter and all you can do is go on about what the hell I'd do? This isn't the Possible's fault…I don't know how she got here, but if she can somehow get the however many millions of miles we are from Earth to here, I don't think a couple of middle-aged parents are going to be able to keep her."

"Lipsky-san, perhaps it would be better to continue this once the jump is complete."

Sherry whirled on the young Japanese woman, but all she saw was honest compassion on her face. Nodding, she sat back down in the acceleration lounge, carefully buckling the straps over her and her daughter who was still clinging to her for dear life, though whether it was because of her ordeal reaching the ship or because of the argument going on around her, she could not tell.

"T-minus one minute to Telewarp…mark" Trin reported.

They really were past the point of no return. Wade and Drakken went to work, playing the roles they had discussed at length leading up to this point. Both of them were excited beyond words by the prospect of what they were about to do, but in the moment itself they were all business.

"Telewarp calculations have been laid into the navigation system." Drakken said, serving as the co-pilot. Trin could handle everything herself, but in the interest of science both men were participating in the process. The former (?) mad-scientist was glad to be busy. That was all that was keeping the butterflies in his gut quiet.

"Internal sensors reporting all personnel are secure for transit." Trinity relayed.

"Structural integrity at one-hundred percent." Wade said, watching a readout on his screen.

"We have achieved cruising speed of thirty plus Hyperwarp." Drakken said, indicating the ship was now traveling at a speed that in relativistic terms would be six-hundred times the speed of light.

"All systems stable. Is the drive ready for maximum output?" Wade asked. Behind him the three women exchanged glances. Sherry was actually shocked when Joss suddenly reached out and gripped her hand, fear overriding her dislike for the woman.

"Hyperwarp drive ready for stage two." Trinity responded.

"Telewarp matrix charged and ready." Drakken said.

"Telemetry is good." Trinity reported.

"Implement stage two." Wade said, gripping the leather arms of his seat.

"Chronal damping change-over in five, four, three, two, one…"

The ship surged as all of its power coursed through the engines. They were pushed back in their seats as the acceleration overcame the ability of the artificial gravity field to compensate. There was a sudden sensation of being stretched, much like the feeling one had when passing the Hyperwarp barrier for the first time on an unshielded ship, only multiplied by a factor of one-hundred.

The tiny group of passengers may have spoken, but there was no way to hear them as they crossed into a realm of theoretical space only guessed by even the most advanced scientific minds of their time. Space and time bent as the _X.S.S. Trinity_ existed for a split moment in all of space and time. The continuum resolved itself until the ship was stretched from the point where it entered hyperspace to it's target many light years away. They felt for a moment like a rubber band stretched too far suddenly released on one end, hurling toward the other as the pent up energy stored in it unfurled.

The sense of acceleration was gone as quickly as it began. For a long moment the only sound was the distant thrum of the engines as they wound down, the ship dropping back to its normal cruising speed.

With the exception of Amethyst they were all hit by a wave of nausea as their bodies fought to compensate for what had just happened to them. Fortunately they were all aware this would happen and with the exception of Drakken they were able to keep the contents of their stomachs down.

Wade shook his head as Drakken wearily sat back in the copilot's seat. "I told you that you shouldn't have filled up on all that Bueno Nacho-to-go stuff before the jump."

"Well, I was hungry." He griped, wiping his face with a paper towel the younger scientist had the presence of mind to bring.

"Don't feel bad, Doctor D." He said. "Ron and Kim both threw up pretty good when they did this."

"Fine company to be in." He muttered, getting up to take care of the bucket Trin had insisted each of them had for the jump. "I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me."

Sherry looked over at the teenager sitting beside her. Joss was still gripping her hand, her face white as a sheet. It suddenly struck her that the kid's behavior might be much more than simple animosity toward her. Oh, it was clear the little cowgirl hated he guts but she was supposed to be a pro, just like her older cousin. She couldn't believe that someone entrusted to pretty much be Kimmie's successor would lose control like she had over the last twenty-four hours.

"Hey, Kid." She said softly. "Possible, can I have my hand back there?"

Joss turned and looked at her, then down at her hand. She let go, absently rubbing her hands together, not quite looking at anything in particular.

"Hey, Possible? Rawhide? You okay in there?" she asked, getting more and more concerned.

Yori was out of her harness, taking Joss' hand. The younger woman continued just staring into space. "Possible-san?" she patted her hand a couple times.

Joss blinked twice, a little color coming back into her face. She finally focused on Yori's eyes. "Yeah, Yori. I'm okay, I think."

Sherry turned her attention back to Amethyst. She tore a sheet of paper towel off and licked the tip, dabbing at the tear streaks still on the little girl's face. "You sure you're okay there, sweetie?" She asked softly.

"That made my tummy feel all stretchy, Mommy!" the little girl said brightly.

She sat her back down in the seat, wiping the rest of her face. "Look, I want you to go downstairs and find Daddy, okay?"

"'Kay, Mommy." She said, hopping off the seat and heading down the stairs.

"I don't figure it." She said, watching her daughter go.

"What's that?" Wade said as he finished shutting down the Telewarp console.

"I get this close to puking my guts out," She held her fingers barely apart, "Rawhide here freaks out and Ammie's no worse for wear than if we'd ridden the merry-go-round at the Middleton Fairgrounds."

"Must have something to do with her smaller body mass, or how her inner ear works. I don't know. I'm just like you, I knew it was coming and I just about hurled too." He turned his attention to Joss, who was still quite pale though she was quietly chatting with Yori. "Trin, can you give me a quick medical scan of Joss?"

"On it." She said, adjusting the internal sensors. "Raise heart rate, elevated blood pressure, nothing reading in the danger zone. Wade, I think she may just have a mild case of Spatial Displacement Phobia."

"What's that, Computer?" Sherry asked.

"It was discovered that some people could sense when they were away from their home worlds. Some people aren't even able to leave their planets without taking certain drugs. Generally those people show symptoms much worse than Miss Possible, but it's likely this is what's wrong with her."

"So far away." Joss said, looking out the sloping windows at the front of the bridge. She got up, staring literally out into space. "Where are the planets?"

"Uh, we're actually not close enough to any of them to see. When you telewarp you have to aim for a relatively empty section of space or you run the risk of dropping out inside a planet or an asteroid or something like that."

Sherry walked up beside the younger woman, first looking outside like she was. It really was scary if you really thought about it, the fact there was literally nothing out there for millions of miles. No stars, no planets, not even bits of rock. They were truly in the void. But to her that was a an abstract concept. Here inside the safety of the yacht, it was just like home. The artificial gravity field was set to exactly mimic Earth's. The air was pleasantly cool, with just the right humidity. They were in a carefully constructed protective bubble that she had complete confidence in.

"Hey, Possible." She put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Joss?" She said with as soft a voice as she could.

She turned toward the older woman, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What?"

"You're scaring me there, Kid."

"Yeah, scared." She turned back toward the distant stars. "What do you care?"

"Possible, has it occurred to you that maybe you're the only one running around acting pissed. Have you noticed I've been putting up with your behavior for the most part?"

"You're just being a smart-ass." She said, looking away.

"Oh? You think I'm just doing that for you? Kid, I'm a smart-ass to everyone. I'm that way to my husband, I'm that way to your cousin and her husband, hell I was even that way with Ammie's real father."

"You mean Drakken's not…"

"No, he's not. Some time when we get back, look up Neil Argus in GJ's files, if they give you access. He died before Ammie was born, so she has no idea about him. I'm going to wait until she's a lot older before I drop that on her. Right now it works just fine for her to think of Drakken as her Daddy. He's literally been there since the day she was born.

"Listen kid, I may have given up trying to be a villain, but I'm still hard-ass. Don't take it so personally." She put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder again. "Why don't we go downstairs and check on that little girl. She thinks you're pretty neat. Plus, I'll take a look in my luggage and 'buy you a drink.'"

Joss raised an eyebrow. "I'm not quite nineteen, ya know."

Sherry smiled at her. "Somehow I don't think that's mattered too much to you in the past. Come on, Kid, it ain't like I've got enough with me to get really plastered."

Yori watched the two women leave. She smiled slightly, hoping the two could patch up their differences enough to make the mission go smoothly. It was highly unlikely they would ever be friends, or at least close friends, but at least it was possible they could come to some kind of understanding.

Then again, she could really go for a cup of Sake herself.

She sat down in the seat Drakken recently vacated, pulling her legs up under her as she sat facing Wade.

"Wade-san?"

She watched with interest as his pudgy fingers nimbly worked the complex controls of the pilot's station. "Just a moment Yori, I'm almost done. Okay, what's up."

"Nothing, Wade-san. I just thought it would be a nice time just to talk."

"Sure thing, Yori. Just, please call me Wade."

"I'm sorry. I have always been taught to show proper respect."

"That's cool, Yori, but with Americans, especially your friends, you don't have to use the Japanese equivalent of 'mister' every time you say our names."

"I will try to honor that…Wade. Please forgive me if I forget."

"It's cool, Yori."

She turned to the communications console. "Have you tried to contact Stoppable-san?"

"I thought of that, but I don't think Ron had a Kimmunicator with him. Kim should have one of hers on, but even if she did they're designed to work with a satellite network. This far out I don't think I could even set the ringer off."

"Oh. I just thought it would be nice to give them some fore-warning, let them know we're coming."

"Yeah, it'd be a good idea, but like I said, it won't work until we're pretty much in the Arkonian system."

They sat there for a while, alternately looking at each other and the star-like points of light flying by. Finally Wade's natural curiosity flared up again. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your surname?"

She blushed slightly and looked away. "I am afraid I do not know."

"Don't know? Don't know your own name?"

"Wade, I was raised almost from birth at Yamanuchi. Sensei knows my true name but has not yet seen the need to tell me what it is. I am not entirely certain my given name is actually Yori."

"But don't you need a name when you're traveling legitimately?"

She looked him in the eye and raised an eyebrow. "Then I use an alias. How did you track me when I took Stoppable-san to the Amazon?"

Wade rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Uh, I was kind of tracking him at the time."

"His tracking chip?"

"Yeah. It was kinda easier than hacking into all the flight records and everything. I think he had already figured it out at the time, but I hadn't told him or Kim they were chipped then."

"I understand." She sat there silently for a time, just looking at him. He certainly didn't look seventeen. As tall and broad as he was he looked much more like he was close to her age, even older. Yet, when she spoke to him she thought she was speaking to someone who was at once both much older and much younger. She knew he had lived most of his life not even able to leave his own room and was awkward and shy even around his own friends, yet he was also capable of so much caring. Just as she had done with Ron so many years ago, she saw past his rounded exterior, right into his soul. Part of it was her training, but part of it was something in her that had only been awakened once before.

"Yori, about my parents."

"Wade, it can wait until we get back. I understand this mission is most important."

"Well, you see, I love my parents and they love me but there was a little problem."

"I don't understand." She looked momentarily distraught.

"It's nothing bad, at least not real bad. You see, because I had to patent a lot of my work I eventually had to employ a lot of lawyers. Well, they finally got this notion that if everything I did went through my parents I'd lose a lot of opportunities, especially if some thought my work was being influenced by them.

"What I'm saying is I technically don't have to ask my parents anything. I'm a legally emancipated minor, so as far as the law is concerned I'm really an adult. I can't vote or drink yet but everything else is pretty much up to me."

"So you are telling me you don't have to get permission from them to date me?" She looked at him, cocking her head at an angle."

"I can if you think it's still important. That was all to do with my money and my inventions, it wasn't anything bad between me and my Mom and Dad."

She got up out of her seat and crossed over to Wades. Slowly she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. His cheeks colored slightly and he almost giggled, a little surprised. "Have you ever been kissed?" She asked, sitting on the arm of his chair.

"Uhhhhh." His hand went to his cheek. "A girl at the Space Center did that once when we were first doing some real work with this ship, but she's married and all, but no, not really."

"I see." She leaned back over and kissed him full on the lips. For a moment he didn't respond, clearly not knowing the first thing he was doing. Yori could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know what she was doing either, only knowing how to kiss in the most general terms. Still it felt good, very good. She liked the way he smelled and the way he tasted. She opened her mouth just slightly, brushing his lips with her tongue before leaning back again.

Wade's eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open. He was utterly and completely stunned by the kiss. "Oh, wow." He finally said, opening his eyes and looking at the smiling young woman.

Yori found herself trembling, her mind warring with her body. The kiss, clumsy and awkward as it was felt so good, so right yet it went against so much of her upbringing. Yes, Wade said he was his own man, but in the same breath he had said that it was for reasons other than the honor within his family. Was she right or wrong to pursue this without first getting their blessing?

Wade took that out of her hands for a brief moment. He stood up, towering over her and put a hand on the back of her neck, leaning in and kissing her again, this time participating much more. Yori gave in willingly, enjoying it fully. It wasn't only Wade's first real kiss, it was hers. Oh, there had been the play-kisses with the other young boys in the school when she was a child, but this was the kiss of an adult, with the pleasure and emotion that went with it.

When it was over Wade suddenly looked slightly panicked. He sat down quickly, making like he was going back to work on the console. Yori put her fingertips to her lips, feeling a lot of the same thing he was. What did Kim Stoppable-san call this feeling? Awk-weird, that was it! She went back to the other seat and stared out into space for some time.

Neither of them noticed Trin on the monitor behind them, glaring daggers at the young ninja.

* * *

"Okay, again." Ron said, sitting with his back against the wall in the sparring room. 

Kim was in the center, a sword that was actually taller than her gripped in both small hands. She was wearing only the green outer layer of her armor, a sight that Ron found extraordinarily pleasing. Even so, with her legs completely bare and her midriff showing she was swearing profusely from the workout.

They were experimenting with their mental link. Ron had already gone through his workout, using moves that Kim sent to him. He had been training with her for years, but it was only through the more intimate contact he was able to finally equate her actually technique.

Somehow he didn't think she would ever use a sword in actual combat, but she was proving very proficient with it anyway. She executed the move again, the sword swinging over her head like a propeller, the blade coming to a sudden stop held directly in front of her.

"God, Ron, this thing is heavy." She said, letting the tip drop to the floor as she wiped her forehead.

"Imagine how much it would weight if the blade wasn't partially hollow." He said, taking the sword from her. He held it out and with just a tiny bit of concentration it started crackling with yellow fire. "So, have you given any more thought to the plan? We're supposed to be there tomorrow."

She picked up a towel and patted down her bare skin. She glanced around the chamber. It was part of the Herald's quarters, a private practice room with a variety of blunted or real weapons. They had quickly accepted when its use was offered by the ambassador. That ensured their privacy as they prepared to 'invade' the planet once again. What she intended to do now she only wanted to do in the utmost privacy. She looked at Ron, thinking for a moment about the love they shared, both spiritually and physically.

Multi-colored light flared around her as she concentrated. The change came quicker now, the metal not so much flowing over her but appearing. As the light faded she stood there once more, ever bit of bare skin now covered by the silver coating. Ron grinned, thinking the effect of her changing, wearing only the very revealing outer layer of her Torellian garment was very, very hot.

Concentrating a little more, some of the metallic material started to flow, growing, changing. In moments it had formed a slightly boxy shape on her back, tapering to the top, with an open nozzle at the bottom.

Metal wings snapped out the bottom, spreading out wide. Ron could only gawk as he realized she had used her power to create a perfect replica of one of their newer jet-packs.

"I don't know if I did this when I flew before, but if I'm right, I was flying pretty fast when I came after you. I'm thinking, if I can manage to do it again, once we drop into the atmosphere we can make a jump for it. Unless we think of something else, I'll carry you like if I was wearing a real Glider-pack.

There was a slight 'pop' sound and the wings rapidly drew in on themselves. Moments later Kim's entire body changed back to normal, her skin still glistening with sweat.

"You know, maybe old Bonnie was on to something years ago." Ron said from his seat on the floor.

"If you say you like it when I 'glisten' you're gonna sleep alone on the bottom bunk, mister."

He sat there, looking at the ceiling, pursing his lips.

"You were actually going to say that, weren't you?" She said, her hands going to her hips.

"Can I plead the fifth."

"Come on, Bad Boy." She gripped his wrist and pulled him to his feet. "I'm tired of 'glistening.' I want a nice shower and a nice clean nightshirt, or whatever you call that thing. We've got a long day tomorrow. We should get there right about the same time Wade said he'd be there."

"Still think he meant the Spiron?"

"Has to be. It's the only place we've been to on Arkonia, so it stands to reason that's where he'd go. Works for me since it's so far from the more densely settled parts of the planet."

"Sounds like a plan." He said, falling into step a pace behind her as they headed for their quarters.

"You're looking at my butt back there, aren't you?" She said, grinning.

"Pleadin' the fifth again." He said, keeping his eyes on the shapely cheeks peeking out from around the narrow 'skirt' portion of her outfit.

Kim shook her head as she shoved him into the room.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney. All _Intergalax _Characters © Nelson Binch 


	24. Learning to Fly

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 24**

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Ron wasn't sure how long he had been awake. He propped his head behind his hands, staring at the top bunk. Waking up alone wasn't terribly unusual for him, at least relatively speaking. When they got their own place right before their last year of college they spent many nights snuggled tightly together, the intensity of actually living together taking control of them. Then, as time went on, they settled into a more relaxed routine. Sometimes they cuddled, sometimes they staked out their own part of the bed, all depending on the kind of rest each needed. No words were spoken on the matter, it was just the normal course of things. If the need arose, the other was always close at hand. Many nights they went to bed dead tired, stretching out apart only to find each other during the night. Other nights it worked the other way.

The fact he was alone in his bunk didn't bother him in the least. Even back when they started taking vacations together they would routinely get rooms with two beds and sometimes, especially in the summer they would take advantage of the extra room, especially at first as they overcame a lifetime of sleeping alone. There really wasn't much room on the bunks and both of them had literally worked their tails off working out the day before. They did keep their record since returning from their honeymoon going again that night, falling into a very deep, relaxing sleep afterward but it was obvious Kim must have needed to stretch out a little more. It was just like at home. Neither of them were large by any stretch of the imagination so their king-sized bed was actually overkill but sometimes they would find themselves stretched out on opposite sides, far enough apart they couldn't sense each other. So he stared at the bunk above him, imagining here there, sleeping on her side, the covers draped on the curve of her hip, one arm under her pillow, the other hand on top of it, close to her face.

It didn't bother him, but he certainly would rather have her in his arms. They may have lived together for almost a year before the wedding and they had started showing their love for each other in stronger ways for some months before that, but actually being man and wife, taking their vows before God and in front of their families made that bond so much deeper. They may not have waiting until their wedding night as they had planned when they were younger, but in the end it did not make that first night in their own home any less special. In fact, a slightly naughty bit of his mind told him it made it better, since by then they actually had a pretty good idea what they were doing.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard a slight moan, mainly because it didn't come from above him but from across the tiny room. For the first time since opening his eyes he looked at another part of the room. The lights were very dim but they could not totally turn them off, probably because of some security consideration as he really didn't think the Torellians were worried about monsters in their toy box.

"Kim?" he slid his feet out of the bed and went over to her. She was sitting on the floor, lightly gripping the sides of the fold-out toilet. He could tell just from the way she was sitting that she had either been sick or was just about to. Then the smell reached him and he realized she already had.

"I'm okay, Honey. Go back to bed." She said weakly.

There was no way that was going to happen now. His heart was pounding in his chest. Kim just plain didn't get sick. Bad colds very occasionally, but never leaning over a toilet sick. "What is it?"

"I just think this Torellian food isn't agreeing with me, that's all." She said, her voice a little hoarse.

"How long have you been up?"

"About thirty minutes. Really, Ronnie, now that it's out of me I feel a whole lot better."

He could tell from her voice that wasn't totally true. She was fighting it for all she was worth. The feeling was as unknown to her as it was unpleasant. Moments later he knew he was right when he heard her throwing up again. The sound and watching her body heave like that was simply heartbreaking. This just didn't happen to the invincible Kim Possible, no matter what her last name was now. In a heartbeat he was at her side, gently touching her back, brushing her hair away from her face. "KP, do I need to get the ship's doctor."

"Nah, just got some bad meat or something. Who knows what's in that stuff." She tore a piece of paper from the dispenser, wiping her mouth. She was a bit too quick on the draw as she leaned forward and heaved once more. This time, fortunately, there was nothing left. Ron found he was grinding his teeth in frustration, knowing there was really nothing he could do for her other than touch her to let her know he was there.

"Are you sure, KP. I ate a lot of that stuff too and I'm okay so far."

"Baby, you've got a stomach like a blast furnace, well, unless you get on a spinney ride at the fair. But you've got to remember, these are Torellians. Plain and simple they're aliens, they aren't humans, not really, so their physiology may be different, or maybe I just ate something I'm allergic to and don't know it."

"Kim, this isn't like you. The only time I've even heard about you throwing up was when you tried helping your mother at the hospital."

"God, how'd you hear about that?"

"I'm your Soulmate, or have you forgotten." She sat back, letting the privy close. He caressed her face, looking into her eyes in the faint light. "Okay, actually your Mom told me about that once, said how proud she was you didn't faint."

"I guess I can do anything but keep my lunch down when I see a human brain."

"Or giant mutant cockroaches." He said, grinning at her. "You want some water?"

"Please and thank you." She said, watching him get up and fill a cup from the small folding sink above the privy. She took the cup from him and gulped it down.

"You feeling better for real now?"

Kim nodded, clutching the cup close to her face. He took it and filled it again. "Yeah, much." She stood up, looking a little wobbly. She rinsed her mouth out twice, scrubbing her teeth and tongue with her finger, then washed her face. "Maybe it was that wine they served us. Did I ever tell you about that so-called bridal shower Sherry had right before she married Drakken?"

"You mean the one where you swore you'd never touch a margarita again in your life."

"Oh, so you do remember."

"Yes, and I also remember that was one of the few nights you spent in the other bedroom of our apartment. Kim you've got to face it, you don't hold your drink very well."

"No kidding. I didn't sleep with you that night because I spent most of it, as Monique so delicately put it, 'calling China on the porcelain phone.' Just didn't realize I had so much of that stuff last night."

"Honestly, I wasn't really paying attention, the party was just too much fun." He smiled at her again, holding her hand as she sat down on the bunk.

"Yeah, I saw you and your fun. Just remember, you can look but not touch."

"Ah, naw, that's not why I was looking. Besides, I don't think they look that good under the armor, I think all that was just for show." The 'going away' party the Ambassador had thrown for them the night before was only the second time they had seen Torellian women on board and, if the shape of their armor was to be believed, they were built quite well. "Besides, you're the one I wanted to take back to my room." He caressed her cheek, knowing it was a really bad time for a kiss.

After what may have been a few minutes or close to an hour of sitting quietly together Kim got up and turned up the lights, starting the timer for a shower, throwing the slightly soiled nightshirt in a pile with the rest of their Vershaltian clothing. Ron sat back on the bed watching her, something he often did at home, marveling at how beautiful she was. Even after leaving cheerleading behind over four years ago and virtually retiring from the hero business she was almost fanatical about both of them keeping in shape. In fact, as she had matured into her 'woman's body' she was in even better shape now than she had been when the two of them had run all over the world, fighting villain after villain. Her neck and arm muscles were thicker and even though she had grown only a single inch since then she looked much taller. Maybe it was her proportions. Her waist was still extremely slender and her figure was what could best be described as petite, making her look tall unless she was standing beside him.

She turned to face him, noticing his stare as the field contracted over her body. She fluffed her hair out as the cycle finished, shaking her mane out over her head to let it dry as much as possible before brushing it back again with her fingers. She smiled at him, a little streak of vanity pleased that he enjoyed looking at her so much.

"Feeling better?" He asked as he slipped out of his bedclothes, setting the controls for his turn.

"One hundred fifty percent." She answered, slipping on the inner body suit of her armor. After couple days they were staring to be as comfortable wearing it as they would regular clothes. She picked up her Kimmunicator, checking the chrono. "It's a bit early yet, but I'm too awake to go back to bed."

"Yup." He said as the water started. He grinned as Kim sat down on the bed to take her turn watching him.

As much as Kim though she had stayed just like she had been for the last six or seven years, Ron really had changed a lot. When they started dating they were just about the same height, then, almost magically by the end of summer he was slightly taller than her after actually being shorter the whole time they had known each other. By the time their Senior Prom rolled around he couldn't even wear his father's powder blue tux any more. He was now just a couple inches shy of six feet tall, still not a really tall man by most people's standards, but taller than she ever thought he would be. It was like puberty wouldn't let him go until he was almost eighteen. He also wasn't quite as skinny as he had been back then either. In her usual way she had taken charge of his health and put him on a better diet and started working out with him. By the time he came back from his second trip to Yamanuchi his chest had filled out and his arms, while still fairly thin, were filled with corded muscles. That actually caused a little bit of a problem. Where once Kim had Ron all to herself because of his one-time utter lack of social status, she suddenly found him catching the eye of more than the handful of girls she had to contend with before. It took her a while to come to terms with the depths of her jealousy where it came to her man.

But it was what they were finally seeing in him, the same thing she had been awakened to when he finally confessed his feelings for her. What had been inside him was finally showing on the outside and of course they would notice. Both to them and to her eyes Ron had become a very beautiful man. Now he was even more beautiful to her, even though at the moment he really, really needed a haircut and a shave. He was, perhaps for the first time in his life, pretty shaggy looking. His beard was filling in much more quickly than she would have imagined but then again he had always shaved pretty closely, except for an aborted attempt to grow a mustache when he was seventeen. He looked so different with the beard, though the moment she put her hands on a proper razor it was coming off. It tickled too much when they kissed! That didn't matter right now, though. It made him look rugged…manly. Then again she would love him just as much if he was still the short, thin boy she had known since they were both four.

* * *

"Okay Ron, how much do you know about H.A.L.O?" Kim had to nearly scream in his ear to be heard over the din of rushing air. 

"Uh, as in what we're going to be wearing if this doesn't work?" He asked, naked fear showing on his face as the clouds rushed by beneath them.

"High Altitude, Low Opening. It means if this doesn't work we're going to have one hell of a tandem jump."

The ship was skimming the upper atmosphere of Arkonia, just low enough they could jump without suits, though they would require oxygen. The Torellians had been able to improvise some helmets and masks for them. So they would not get separated they had been strapped together, a single large parachute strapped to Kim's back. They still had not told them their actual plan as they didn't know for sure if the Torellians knew about Kim's powers. If anything they knew she could turn silver and was a fearsome fighter, but they had not seen her fly. Even Den Taag's men at the arena has only seen her enter from the smashed roof. They wanted to keep some secrets for themselves.

The parachute was there if for some reason her powers failed to work. She wasn't even certain if she could remember how to fly. The one time she had done it was purely on instinct, fearing that Ron was dying. There was also the chance that she would be too distracted by the jump to actually change forms. As they waited in their quarters to be summoned she had practiced changing back and forth, but there was absolutely no way to test her flying prowess.

Kim watched their improvised jump-master. The young Torellian technician was carefully watching a scanner. The rush of wind was too loud for them to hear his voice, though it didn't matter as he could not speak Arkonian. Instead they would use hand signals when they were finally over their jump point.

Kim had to admit to herself she was more than a little scared right now. Ron could jump out of any airplane by this point, but he had never quite gotten over his fear of free fall. As she matured she finally realized he was not simply being a baby about it, for him it was a very real and palpable fear. It shamed her that she had not realized that sooner.

This jump was far beyond anything they had ever attempted before. If she couldn't change, if she couldn't figure out how her flying powers worked they jump was going to be rough. She wasn't even sure if the controls of the alien chute would work like the ones she was familiar with and the last time she had executed a tandem jump was with one of her brothers when they were only ten years old and therefore quite small. She was doing it now with a grown man, one who was a good fifty pounds heavier than her.

The tech gave them the agreed upon signal. The man probably had no idea what a thumbs up meant, so it was actually a bit amusing to see him do it. Ron gave Kim's hand a good squeeze as he closed the visor on his helmet, scrunching his eyes tightly closed.

Kim pushed off into the clouds. Somewhere below them would be the massive crater known as the Great Spiron of Arkonia. Seven great rivers flowed into the crater, pouring into it in a series of waterfalls that made Niagara look like a pitiful trickle. In the center was a whirlpool that churned with almost unimaginable fury. Where the water went from that point, they had no clue. It would take a pretty impressive underground river to carry off that much water, but the crater had been there, the rivers running strong and true throughout the entirety of Arkonia's recorded history.

The ship that had been their home for three days was gone almost instantly, lost in the heavy cloud cover. The boiling waters created an almost permanent thunderhead growing out of the crater, feeding the clouds above, casting a constant gray light on the mossy dark greens and saturated brown stone of the natural wonder. Once again they found themselves alone, falling from the heavens, plummeting blind with only an oversized gauge strapped to Kim's wrist to tell them how far they had fallen.

She felt the rush of adrenaline as they fell, something she always enjoyed but here there was too much danger. If they were not careful, especially if they had to rely on the chute, they would end up falling all the way through the cloud, ending up in the whirlpool itself, meaning certain death. Nothing could live in those violent waters. They had seen a number of men go to their deaths when part of the ground collapsed, torn away by the rushing waters of the river.

It was now or never. If she could not make the change in the next ten thousand feet they would have to use the chute and pray they could clear the water. It was decided as they approached the planet they would have to aim for the eastern edge of the crater, hopefully landing just inside near the hidden fortress where they had met the Blessed Mother of Arkonia nearly two years ago. If they were to meet up with the rest of Team Possible in time they had to take that chance. If they landed too far from the crater they risked spending a day or longer getting there in unknown terrain. The region was more hilly than mountainous, but if they lost sight of the crater they could become hopelessly lost with few supplies.

Kim spread her arms, slowing their plummet as much as she could. Ron did the same. She could feel his mind touching hers, his fear washing over her, becoming part of her.. Even over the din of rushing air she could hear his screaming. He simply could not help it, he was utterly terrified, far beyond any terror he had felt before. He had utterly no control over the situation and it was only his unshakeable confidence in her that kept his heart beating now.

Then the sensation of freefall deep in their guts lessened. The wind rushing past their faces became more tolerable. The clouds parted beneath them and they could see the lands spread out all around them.

They were skirting the edge of the great thunderhead, the mouth of the crater right below them. Yet the ground was not rushing up to meet them. Instead they soared, almost lazily, so far above the ground they seemed to be floating.

Ron tried his best to twist around, hoping to see Kim fully armored and transformed. He was strapped too tightly to her to see much, but what he could see astounded him.

Instead of the short, stubby wings of her glider-pack, wings seemingly made of the silver metal had sprung like great eagle wings right from her arms, stretching down her legs like the para-suits they used from time to time to make short jumps. How he wished he could have seen her in all her glory, like a winged goddess slowly spiraling toward the ground. He wondered for a moment when he had actually stopped screaming, but that thought was chased away as something unexpected washed over him, something powerful that uplifted his soul.

Kim was filled with utter joy. A wish she had buried so deep in her soul that she didn't even know she had it had been fulfilled. She was flying, flying free under her own power, soaring partly on the wind, partly on whatever her gifts used to propel her. The joy was so powerful it was spilling out of her and into him through their link. She probably could not have contained it if she tried. It made him want to spread his own wings and fly along with her, like two mated eagles who would never again have to be tied to the surface. His fear was washed away and he extended his own arms as if they would spring wings of their own.

They circled and swooped, caught up in the joy of flight. Both of them understood at last the poem the air force embraced. They slipped the surly bonds of the earth, experiencing a freedom that so few could. Flying with their old jetpacks and later their glider-packs only hinted at this. It was a pale shadow of true flight. This felt like what man was meant to do, the dream that had been around since Icarus, ever since the first lowly caveman had seen a bird and wished he could spread his arms and join those magnificent creatures of the air.

Ron noticed something. The crater was starting to get further and further away as Kim rode thermals, letting the wind carry her. He realized she was becoming lost in her joy. He ground his teeth as he came to a decision. There was a job to do and it would take both of them if it was going to happen.

_Head in the game! Head in the game! Head in the game!_ He started thinking at her, shouting with his mind, hoping he could be heard over the crashing symphony of her ecstasy.

It worked. _Thanks, Ron_ he heard in his head as she circled back toward their original destination. _You've always been there to bring me back to Earth._

He could almost feel her smile in his mind.

The rim of the crater got closer and closer as they spiraled downward. Kim knew that when she had flown before it had been all about the power. Whatever had propelled her that night was nothing like what she was doing now. She had simply traveled from one point to another. There had been no great wings stretching from her arms. There had been no facsimile of her glider-pack. It had simply been her, hurtling like a vengeful missile. Was that still her power to command or was her heart, her soul crafting her power into something that fit her better? She hoped that one day she could find out.

They passed over the rim one last time, the remains of the once-great fortress visible in the distance. With just a touch of her mind, Kim accelerated towards it, slowing finally outside before finally coming to light just outside the crumbling outer walls. Remembering what had happened the last time she had been here, she made sure to land on the opposite side from the river.

More of the land had crumbled away since they made their escape early the previous year. The secret exit they had used to escape the betrayal of Arcus Uri was gone, consumed by the mighty torrent of the river. In fact, more than half the false fascia of the extensive underground complex was now gone. Untold eons of erosion had undermined what had been a village or a fortress. During their escape, the _Trinity_ had fired her small guns, trying to scatter the Arkonian soldiers sent to capture them. Instead it started a chain reaction, sending the weakened ground into the maelstrom, including the soldiers, as well as the sword Ron had been told he was fated to carry.

Once on the ground, Ron quickly hit the release from his harness. He quickly turned to look at his wife.

The wind howled around them, making her hair flow behind her. Her face, her hair, even her eyes were that solid silver color. The metallic green and black of her armor were in perfect contrast. Her slowly retracting wings completed the picture. He couldn't imagine anything more beautiful. That is until she shut the power down, returning to normal.

He met her luminous green eyes.

The Champions of the Effurien had arrived.

* * *

Gryphion stood in one of the forgotten chambers deep in the Master's Palace, confident he had once again eluded Podondrin's spies. He quickly changed out of the velvet robes he normally wore, putting on the clothing of a man with much lower station. Then he strapped the Terran sword to his back and walked over to a dusty mound in one corner. 

"The time is finally near, old hero." He said to the crumbling bones. Bits of what may have once been armor lay there in some semblance of a human form. Empty sockets stared back from what was left of its skull.

"Maybe I could have used this Terran relic to save you." He pulled the Tempus Simia from the folds of his shabby tunic. "Maybe you could have spared these people eight hundred years of anguish, but then perhaps I would not have the opportunities that I have carefully fostered. The time of heroes, your time died along with you. You could have been the savior of these people, but you never saw that. I can't blame you, how could you know. When the Podondrin became blinded by his own power, but the evil that corrupted him, you could not see it, not until his knife was in your back.

"Maybe if I saved you I might not have ever come into being, and where would that leave this world? Without hope? Without me to take them from this cruel tyrant you helped come to power in your blind weakness? I should think not."

He raised the idol into the air, grinning at it. "For many long centuries I have waited for this day. Soon the false Master will make his bid for ultimate power and I will be there to take it from him. I shall be the one to lead the entire human race, both here and on the Mother World to a golden age, an age of the new Arkon! I shall be the hero reborn and the Dark Lord of Arkonia shall fall!"

As he spoke the last he sent a command from his mind into the idol. A red swirling vortex opened in front of him and he stepped through.

Leaving the old bones alone once more in the guttering light of a nearly spent torch.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney.

The Intergalax Universe © Nelson Binch


	25. Forbidden Caverns

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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* * *

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**Chapter 25**

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"This is not going to be as easy as I thought." Wade whispered as the black starship glided slowly past the holographic asteroid they had hidden their ship in.

"Are you certain they can't see us?" Drakken said, sweat beading on his brow. If anyone on their small ship could tell just by looking how well armed the battleship was, it was him and that was just the externally mounted beam weapons they could actually see. If _Trinity's_ last encounter with one of these was any indication, it also carried missile weapons.

"Well, they should be able to see the asteroid just fine. The trick is knowing if their sensors can penetrate our own electronic countermeasures." He whispered back.

"Um, Wade, why are we whispering?" Drakken asked, raising an edge of his unibrow at the younger scientist. "There's plenty of vacuum between us and that ship. They can't possibly hear us."

"I, uh, I guess it just seems appropriate." He answered.

"Must be a guy thing." Sherry said in her normal speaking voice. "You've been watching too many old submarine movies or something. I was about to ask the same thing."

"_Run Silent, Run Deep._" Wade supplied, still whispering.

"Oy, he even knows the name of one." She said, rolling her eyes and sitting back down behind her husband.

"I still don't understand why if we've got the superior anti-detection equipment why we just simply don't fly right in and land somewhere." Drakken said, pointing at the blue/white globe shining in the distance.

"Because none of that stuff is any good if somebody just happens to look out the window and sees us with their own eyes. Besides, you managed to pick up a ship with an even more advanced countermeasures suite than this one has and you're five hundred years behind it."

"Oh, that's right. I did. Well, I doubt anyone down there would have thought of that." He grunted.

"There's an unknown number of billions of people down there on that world and none of them are as smart as you?" Sherry asked, propping her feet up on the back of Drakken's seat.

"Nggggh. Just for that, none of the special treats for you tonight."

"Ewwwww, okay, nobody's talking about special treats right now." Wade said, finally breaking out of his whisper.

"Like that's any kind of threat." Sherry said, popping the back of her husband's head with her toe.

"Well, it is." He muttered, rubbing his scalp. "You get more from me now than you ever did before."

"Oh, please, dear God take me now." Wade said, pounding his head on the control yoke.

"Hel-lo, Dr. D. Are you forgetting something? When you came crawling back to me I was pregnant. Don't you think that kind of says I was getting some? If anybody should be running scared of getting cut off it should be you."

"I was getting plenty, thank you very much." He groused.

"The Bebe robots don't count."

"Please, you two. If you don't knock this off I'm either going to hurl or I'm going to turn the hologram off and go moon that battleship, just to shut you two up!" Wade said.

"Well, Shego started it." Drakken said petulantly.

"I don't care, it's enough. This is why I quit reading Kim's diary when she started dating Ron."

A couple moments later Wade noticed the entire ship had gone dead quiet. Both Sherry and Drakken were staring straight at him. Even Yori and Joss, who had been quietly chatting toward the back of the bridge had gone silent, though they might not know why the older couple were just looking at him.

Sherry was the first to speak. "You mean you were reading her diary? Man, I know she never caught you 'cause she would have hung your guts from one side of Middleton to the other. Load, that was so wrong!"

"She never put anything real private until she was with Ron, so it wasn't that bad."

"It doesn't matter. She was probably putting stuff in there that went right over your guy's head but she should still have been pissed if she found out."

"Well, she did find out." He tried defending himself, only to receive another raised eyebrow.

"Look, I was eight when I met her online. I didn't know any better and I was lonely and she seemed so nice."

Sherry shook her head. "Load, there's bound to have been stuff in there about her starting and all other kinds of female stuff. You had no right to do that."

"Okay, okay I get it. I stopped a long time ago and all that's water under the bridge with me and Kim now. I said I was eight and if she said anything weird about female stuff it just went over my head anyway since I don't remember any of it. Can we drop this now?"

"Should I be concerned about you looking over my files?" Trin said, chiming in for the first time in over an hour. For the last two days she had been extremely quiet, only speaking when she had something critical to report. Her silence was bothering Wade, though he wasn't in a position to do a complete diagnostic on her systems.

"There's not going to be anything in there that's embarrassing." He said, arching an eyebrow at the computer generated face.

"Isn't that for me to decide?" She said, doing her best to execute a digital puppy-dog-pout.

"Trin, you're a computer, you don't have embarrassing body functions like a real woman and you don't have boys to pine over and write all kinds of gushy stuff about." He said, shrugging.

"Then why did you boot me up with a female personality." She said, almost growling before winking back off.

"What was that about?" Drakken asked, staring at the now-blank screen.

"I dunno." He said, staring at it as well. "She's been acting kinda freaky for a few days now, since right after we made out jump. Maybe I really do need to run a diagnostic on her."

"I don't think now is the time. Is that ship far enough away from us yet?" He eyed the point in space it has disappeared to.

"Just about. I'll give it a few more minutes, then I'll power up the engines again."

"I was a lot more worried he'd take a pot-shot at us." Joss said, leaning on the console, careful not to touch anything critical. Apparently she had come a long way to overcoming her space-sickness, though this was the first time she had been on the bridge since the jump.

"That shouldn't have been a real problem. A ship that size probably has some high-ranking officers on board. They'd, so to speak, be running a pretty tight ship and that sort of thing wouldn't be allowed with that kind of discipline. Now if that had been a patrol ship or maybe even a destroyer, I'd have been sweating it a lot more, but even that ships probably have to account for their ammunition, even if it's in the form of directed energy weapons."

"Awful lot of words there to say they ain't gonna be shooting at stray rocks." Joss said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at him.

"Um, yeah." He said, rubbing his neck slightly.

"I still say we should make a run for the surface. I'd feel a lot safer on solid ground than just floating around out here." Drakken said.

Wade just shook his head. "If they spot us out here, we can always turn tail and warp out of here. They may outgun us, but Trin still assures me she can out-strip anything we've gotten a scan of so far. If nothing else we can always pull an emergency telewarp. I've had Trin run a few plots so we can do that safely. Well, relatively safely. If we're on the ground, well, let's just say we have to get on the ground without being spotted. That's going to be the real trick."

"I don't think we'll be spotted." Drakken complained.

"Like I said before, they could have something like you used. Say, how did that work anyway?"

"Eh? Oh, it was a computer algorithm that worked on the principal of 'not there.'"

"Er, what?" Wade said, his eyebrow going up once more.

"'Not there, as in if something is in full stealth mode it's like it's not even there. The computer compiled data from several types of sensors and basically looked for too much 'not there.' Basically it was looking for holes and would make an educated guess if there was definitely nothing there and there should be something there then it tells you that something is most certainly there."

"That is so dumb it just might work." Wade said, scratching his head.

"Well, it did work. At least that once. Seems that current stealth vehicles aren't that good yet, so they didn't generate quite enough 'not there.' But that ship was that good, so it set it off."

"Well, I'm still not taking my chances down there until we've got a clear window." He said, crossing his arms and getting ready to invoke his status as mission leader if he had to.

"So, what about contacting Kim and Ron?" Joss said, taking the seat behind Wade.

"I've thought about it, but it's still too risky. I can't even pick up a trace on her Kimmunicator or her tracking chip, even if it's still active."

"What about Ron's."

"Uh, Joss, remember, he got his tracking chip removed by these people and as near as we can tell, he left the house with the clothes on his back, which, according to Kim before she disappeared too, was probably a pair of boxers."

"Yeah, right. I'm just so used to having you able to home in on us in the field."

"Well, I should be able to do that when we get in closer. I made the mistake once of giving them chips that only worked when an active signal hit them. Turned out that was too hard to block. Then only thing now is getting close enough to read them without having to broadcast such a powerful signal since I don't know for certain if they can detect that band down there. There's just too many variables."

"Well, it's frustrating, sitting up here like this. I'm with Drakken, I'd rather be on the ground."

"So would I." Wade agreed. "So would I. Okay, I'm going to drop the holo and fire up the engines. Sher, might want to go check on Ammie, I don't want her freaking out when the engine start."

"I think she'll be okay." She said as she got up. "Thanks anyway for thinking about her." She went aft. The little girl should have still been in the main parlor.

"We're cool." She said over the intercom.

The sound wasn't very frightening, it was just a distant hum as the engines cycled up, channeling ions to generate thrust.

Hopefully, in a couple hours, they would be on the surface and hopefully by then they would know where Kim and Ron were.

If they were even on the planet at all.

* * *

It seemed like it had been decades since they were there, not just a year and a half. For the most part, the great crater looked just the same only now it was somewhat colder. They didn't know if that was due to a change of the season or they had simply forgotten what it felt like there, though the former was probably the more likely. The only real feeling they remembered was being doused in the freezing water of the river as the land fell away beneath their feet.

Great powers or no, Kim wasn't about to go anywhere near that ledge, though it was entirely likely the ground was far more solid now than it had been in eons.

"Don't you think they should have been here by now?" Ron shouted over the din of the rushing water.

If the Trinity was there, they certainly couldn't see it. By their best guess, at least Trin would have made the suggestion they land as close to the old fortress as possible, being the only location they were familiar with.

Kim tapped her ears, indicating she couldn't hear what he was asking. He pointed toward the fortress and made like he was walking that way. She nodded, following after him as he set off in that direction for real.

The low-light in the shadow of the crater made it hard to see, especially since the ever-present cloud over the whirlpool cast its shadow over it even at the local high noon. The entrance of the underground complex where the Blessed Mother and her followers had lived seemed only to be a gaping rectangular maw in the side of the crater wall. So much of the false fascia had crumbled away it now looked much more like a cave than anything else.

There was little hope that any of those people remained there. When Arcus Uri betrayed them he brought modern soldiers, first to attempt to capture them. It didn't look likely that any of them survived the collapse but certainly more came later to round up any stragglers left behind. It simply would not do for the totalitarian leaders of the planet to leave a rebel group like that functioning.

Hopefully, they had all gotten away.

If the people appearing on Earth were any indication, it seemed likely that some must have. That made Kim wonder again about the young woman who spirited her to the planet Troxxite.

Ron stepped into the darkness first. When he had first been given his armor, it was old, abused and much of the modern systems it had been built with had been stripped away, leaving it mostly a battered shell that would simply make do for the arena. When the armorer on the Herald's starship had set to repairing it, he had done a first-class job, restoring most of its intended capabilities. It was only too bad he never had a helmet with it, since it would have contained night-vision systems. Instead he had to settle for the more prosaic functions. Touching a control on his gauntlet, a pair of high-intensity lights sprang up, lighting their way inside.

It didn't take them long to find their way into the main chamber. The steps leading down to the central alter were clean and clear. They half-expected to see signs of some kind of battle being fought, perhaps even a body left to molder. Instead it had become just a large, empty chamber. The banners were gone as were the sconces where flaming braziers had been lit, casting an orange glow in the dome shaped space.

Ron cast his beams upward. Now all they could see above their heads was simply more rock that had been carved away by means unknown. Before there had been a sort of skylight there, showing the great thunderhead hovering over the whirlpool. That had almost certainly been some kind of hologram or illusion. Considering the nature of the powers they had seen in use there, they strongly suspected the latter.

Relying on memory and a little luck, they found what certainly looked like the passage leading to their quarters. It could have been any one of several chambers, they simply did not remember exactly which one it had been. All that remained to indicate these had been living quarters were the central pits in the back room of each. Traditional Arkonian beds were not built up above the floor, but cut down into them.

Ron played his lights over one such 'pit-bed,' pointing out a particular flaw in that design, especially in stone. About a foot of water had accumulated there.

"So much for the site of our first wedding." Kim said sadly, standing over the edge of what was now a stagnant pool instead of what was possibly one of the first places they had ever made love.

As far as they were concerned, it wasn't really a wedding. The Blessed Mother had performed an ancient rite that was supposed to merge their souls. It was done for the benefit of her followers since she knew the two of them had already joined their souls of their own accord. Still, from a legal standpoint, they had been married legally on this planet more than a year longer than they had been on Earth. That's why they made such a special distinction that it wasn't a true marriage.

Especially since they didn't get a say in the matter at the time.

"No bodies anywhere." Ron said hopefully.

"I'm almost afraid to go any deeper into these catacombs." Kim said, wishing her more 'ceremonial' armor had nice gadgets like Ron's.

"Probably not a real good idea anyway. Remember how lost we got when we found out about Uri?"

"Yeah. You're right, but if anything happened, they might have gotten trapped back in there. Unless…"

"What?" He asked, trying to see her expression without shining the bright beams directly in her face.

"Sensei said the Blessed Mother came to him. It didn't occur to me at the time, but that means she has some way of getting from here, all the way to Earth, and somehow I don't think she's got her own starship. From what I understand, these people didn't even have real ships until just a few years ago."

Ron found himself lost in thought. Something was tickling the back of his mind. Something he had seen years ago and only just now it was bubbling back to the surface. He just couldn't quite place it.

Something to do with traveling great distances, something that tied in with this place.

He shook his head, not quite able to piece it together. Too much clutter in there. All he could see in his minds eye was an old woman holding something. Every time he tried to think what that might be all he saw was the Blessed Mother's blind face, laughing softly.

Another memory bubbled up in his mind.

"KP, do you remember, way back that first summer we were going together?" They had long stopped calling that time of their lives mere dating, relying on a term their parents had used when they were younger to describe an even closer relationship than that implied.

"Well, yes I do, but I think you need to be a little more specific."

"Vacation, down in Florida. Remember that day we got sunburned so bad?"

She shuddered. "Yeah. We've still got to be on the lookout for skin cancer from that."

"Well, remember when we went to the indoor pool so we could stay out of the sun and cool off some?"

"Vaguely. Ronnie, that was over five years ago and as far as I'm concerned, a whole other life."

"Well, I know this is going to sound weird, but do you remember the blind lady? The one who wanted to be helped to the hot tub?"

Kim just shook her head. From her perspective, those five years might as well have been a lifetime. She remembered those early, seemingly innocent days with fondness, but she did not often dwell on them. Then a sliver of a memory came back to her.

"Surely you don't think that was her, do you?"

"I'm thinking it was. She might have been spying on us even then. Oh, and don't call me 'Shirley.'"

"Ron, quit playing around." She griped, having walked into the old movie line. What was it about men and stupid comedies?

_I heard that_ he said to her through their connection.

_We really should have been doing this outside instead of shouting at each_ other she said back.

"I didn't think of it." He said sheepishly.

"Well, we'll have to remember that in the future. Might come in handy, especially if we're in a tight spot."

"Yeah."

He was still puzzling over the mystery of how the Blessed Mother was apparently able to reach Earth. They were now checking the third room. None of the other beds had filled up with water, but they remained bare stone bowls, just waiting for some leak to turn them into more stagnant pools. At least the door remained intact.

Kim looked about the room, her eyes growing accustomed to the fainter light outside of his main beam. "I don't think we're going to find anything useful here. I guess they got away after all. At least I hope."

Ron wasn't listening to her. He was focused on something on the wall, or more specifically, carved into it.

A set of three triangles, stacked so they created a fourth, larger triangle, were carved into the wall directly across from the room. At first he was thinking that he would remember this if it were just outside the quarters they had been provided that night, but they had pretty much decided it was the first room they had examined, the one with the flooded pit-bed.

No, this drew his eyes for another reason. It made him think of an old woman holding a stone.

It was a triangular stone.

The triple-triangle design was ringed in strange characters. Whatever allowed them to speak and understand Arkonian obviously did not extend to the written language, or at least to this particular language. He had no way of knowing if this was the planet's current script or something far older.

Then his hand shot to his mouth. He knew what the Blessed Mother had been using to reach Earth. He had seen it with his own eyes.

He looked over at Kim, a cold chill going over him. He wasn't about speak about what he knew, not now, not knowing what other memories it would bring back for her. Some wounds never truly heal and he was not about to open this particular one.

It wasn't the Blessed Mother, but Nooni, the Master Lunch Lady of Yamanuchi who had used a triangular stone, etched in these very symbols. She used it to send him from the school to a warehouse in Middleton in order to save Kim. He succeeded, though he didn't know then the true nature of the danger she had been in. It took her a long time to get over that, or at least to put it behind her to the degree she could live normally again. It could have been worse, much worse, especially if he hadn't been able to help her.

"Ron?" Kim asked, puzzled by his uncharacteristic silence.

"Huh? Oh, just thinking. I don't know, that could have been any old lady. Maybe it wasn't her after all."

Kim shook her head. "Knowing our luck with freaky coincidences, who knows. It probably was."

"You know." He said. "A thought just occurred to me."

"What's that, Honey?" She said, surveying the carving that had previously captured his attention.

"What if the Trinity lands while we're in here. You don't think they'd give up and leave if we're not waiting for them."

"Good call." She said. Her finger hovered over the call button of her Kimmunicator. It had been more than three days since she got the message from Wade. So strange he would be able to send it, considering the device was actually designed to tie into a satellite network, not act as a distant receiver. It just wasn't meant to be that sensitive without a repeater of some sort.

"We need to get out in the open and try calling him. Maybe that's what they're waiting for. If they're in orbit, then they're safer. If they're on the ground, then they run the chance of being spotted."

"Makes sense." He pointed his beams back toward the large chamber. They had found nothing of interest, so there wasn't anything to gather. They simply turned back the way they had come.

Only now the cavern wasn't empty as it had been before. Dozens of lights came to life as they stepped out into the open. Many of them were bright, high-intensity beams just like Ron's. Only, they were not mounted on the wrists of their holders.

They were mounted on dozens of rifles, all of them trained right on them. More than one weapon sported a laser, painting little red dots on their heads and chests.

"I didn't think it would be this easy." Somebody said from the darkness. Cold chills went down their spines as they recognized the voice.

It was Wade's.

However, it wasn't their tech guru and expected savior who stepped out into the open.

The sight of him almost made Ron scream. He was the one who had seen him before, though that was only a dream, a nightmare he had right before he discovered he was the supposed keeper of the Blade of the Effurien.

He was almost seven feet tall, not counting the spikes on his helmet. The sides of the great mask were like upswept eagle's wings, the face itself like a stylized grinning demon. A black cloak swirled around him like a malevolent mist.

The Podondrin, the Master of Arkonia spoke again. This time his voice was not of their friend, but something darker, something that chilled both of them right down to their cores.

"I was beginning to think that all of my preparations had been for nothing once Arcus Corrin failed, once my doppelgangers were lost to me but as I told my minions, there must be faith. Now you have come to me of your own accord…

…and my plans can come to their fruition." He laughed, a sound even more chilling than his speaking voice.

Ron's eyes narrowed as he noticed the sword hanging from the towering apparition's waist.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney.

The Intergalax Universe © Nelson Binch


	26. The Old Girl Enters the Fray

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 26**

**The Old Girl Enters the Fray**

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A petite woman with long, strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail sat at her console, absently chewing on a plastic disposable pen. Some of the crew of the destroyer, USS Delilah would tease he about buying the things by the dozen so she could just chew on them. That might be true. Her duties on the slender vessel rarely required exhaustive note taking like her previous civilian career did, and even when she did need to make some kind of report, it could be quickly read into her personal data link on her wrist.

Over a year earlier she had gotten a call from somebody she never expected to hear from, ever again. Jason Marsh had been her commanding officer when she was part of a tank crew during the Arkonian War. When that ended, they had a brief, very physical relationship. It was that time that caused the split between them. They simply wanted different things. She wanted an independent career, with a steady man to come home to at the end of the day. He wanted a partner by his side at all times as he ran his fathers multi-trillion credit corporation.

He was the last person in the galaxy she expected would call her back to active duty in the Unified Federal Starforce. But there he was at her apartment one fine day, his long hair chopped off into an old-fashioned 'high and tight' and his gray and black uniform all crisp and neat. He looked like the last five years had melted off him overnight.

Jolene "Jo" Stommble was out of her element. During the war she had been pretty much a glorified driver with a commission. She was part of a ten-man crew of a 'Ground Effect Mobile Weapons Emplacement," or, as most of the grunts would call them, a Hover-Tank. Because of her age she came into the decades-long war near the end, when most of the fighting had gone planet-side. Gone were the days of massive starships duking it out in open space. The Arkonians swept through the United Accord planets, grabbing territory quickly when hostilities broke out. The UA was basically caught with their pants down on that one. What good were huge fleets of glittering starships that couldn't even land when the enemy already held the surface? Sure they could bombard them out of existence, but the point was winning back what was rightfully theirs.

The war itself dragged on nearly forty years, claiming more lives in its course than most planets even had people. In the end, the UA ships prevailed over the smaller, cruder Arkonian fleet, but it took sending in ground troops to finally root them out.

It was what Jo did after the war that landed her on a fifty year old destroyer, wearing captain's bars on that blasted gray and black uniform. Since she was cashiered at the end of the war, she still had a reserve status. Sophisticated computers determined there was a need and she had the necessary skills, so she was reactivated.

The fact she didn't know what the mission was bothered her. All she was told to do was man a special sensor station and report any unusual findings to the commanding officer of the ship, Colonel Renton.

She had enough military discipline left in her not to bother pointing out how silly it was to have a deep-space exploration expert manning a station designed for uneducated enlisted personnel.

The Delilah may have been old, but she was like a legendary Irishman's hammer that had been given a few new heads and a few new handles in its storied life. There was likely very little left in the long, boat-like hull that had come off the space-docks many years before Jo was even born. The bridge itself was probably only a couple years old, being a module mounted above where the original, war-time control center had been located. The ship had a fully up-to-date ion power plant and even had telewarp capability, though they had not done any of the galaxy hopping jumps since she had been aboard.

It was very likely her experience on a telewarp capable starship that got her flagged for the mission.

At least her relatively light work-load left her plenty of time for a hobby that was bordering on obsession. About three years earlier she made an exciting discovery about her ancestors…

…she was a descendant of the legendary Twenty-First century hero, Kim Possible.

It all started when the exploration team she had been on made a very strange discovery on a lonely, sunless planet on the far side of the galaxy. There had been two ancient skeletons on that world. One was clearly some creature not yet known to science. The other was quite human, where no homo-sapiens had any right to be until they arrived there.

The most shocking thing about the skeleton was the fact the remaining traces of DNA showed it was clearly related to her.

The other discovery they made was an ornate sword, similar to a Japanese katana buried in the skull of the giant creature. Her curiosity surging, she went digging through the records of her ancestors trying to figure out whose remains were lying on that dark world. That's when she stumbled onto data about her flame-haired forebear.

What's more, she found a photograph of her with her husband and another dark haired woman. What was most interesting was the sword handle peaking over the blonde-haired man's shoulder.

It was the very same sword.

That sword was transported back to UA space on board the ship that first discovered the dark world. Thinking it might be her only link to her mysterious past, Jo hid the sword in a crawlspace of the small vessel. Unfortunately, before she could recover it, the ship was sold to her former lover's company and converted into a luxury yacht. Nothing was ever said about the weapon being found and before anyone could actually stumble onto it, the ship disappeared without a trace.

That photo now served as the default screen of her personal data pad. She sometimes found herself studying it, trying to fathom the mystery of her great, great, great (many times over) grandparents and the raven-haired woman with them. There was much written about Kimberly Anne Possible, but most of it appeared to be utter fantasy. The intervening centuries had turned fact into legend, making her more of a Robin Hood-like figure than actual history. Of her husband, she only really knew his name, and the name of their son that carried on their line until the name Stoppable had morphed into Stommble.

That the blonde-haired man with the sword was Kim Possible's husband, she had little doubt. Yet there was very little written about Ronald Eugene Stoppable, or his son, Eugene James Stoppable. The only hint she ever found was a reference to the elder Stoppable in a restaurant guide and a copy of an invitation to the son's wedding to a lady named Amethyst Lipsky.

She never found any pictures of the son or his wife, though she somehow imagined her looking like the current Prime Minister of Arkonia, Amethyst Arkon, a beautiful but tiny woman in her late sixties who assumed the mantle of leadership of that world when the old reign of the Masters ended at the close of the war. From what she understood, she was born on Earth but at least one of her parents had some sort of Arkonian heritage.

Jo's notion of her appearance was bolstered by the resemblance Prime Minister Arkon bore to the unnamed woman in the photo. They had the same narrow, tapering facial structure, but where the Prime Minister had glittering blue eyes, this woman's appeared brown, though it was hard to tell in the picture.

Everything was quiet on the ship. In fact, it had been that way ever since they left the main shipping lanes. Normally very few ships would venture far from such courses. There wasn't much need. Most of the surrounding space had been thoroughly mapped by that point and where there was supposed to be nothing, there was a ton of the stuff.

If there was one benefit of having a crew made up of 'old pros' it was the more relaxed approach to discipline. Everyone knew their jobs well enough they didn't have to spend a lot of time drilling and training on their equipment. In fact, despite bumping up against her thirtieth birthday, Jo was one of the younger members of the crew. That, and her petite stature pretty much meant she got called 'kid' by a large part of the crew. At least that was better than that one "Earth-born" from old Texas who insisted on calling her "little Missy."

Bored, she picked up her data pad and flipped through some of her documents. They were too far out to tie into the government mainframe, at least without dropping out of warp and setting up a tight-beam transmission, so she had to make do with what was recorded on her pad or in the ship's computer core. Basically that meant there wasn't much new she would be able to glean, so she simply amused herself by re-reading the better known historical accounts of her famous ancestor. Her particular favorite was the story of how she single-handedly stopped a horde of robots from taking over the whole planet.

That one always struck her as strange. Just how much was a single woman, who by all accounts (and many photographs) was almost as petite as she was. Sure, she had done her share of heroic things on the battlefield, but that was as part of a team, with scores of other people backing her up behind the lines. That made her wonder at just how much of the account was simple fabrication. Her going up against an army of killer robots alone seemed suicidal. It was far more likely she was part of a team. That was something that was drilled into her head from the day she joined the UFS at sixteen. Anything was possible for a team.

The other thing that struck her as odd was her age. Kim Possible's birth date was a matter of record. The attack occurred in May of two thousand and five, which means she would have been sixteen at the time. Yet, there were pictures of a younger hero with a boy who looked for all the world like her future husband. Where in the world was he during her adventures? Yet, every image she could find, there was Kim, all by herself in some sort of white combat suit.

She shrugged and let the recordings play. Old still photos of the robots, each looking strikingly similar to a Torellian Combat Bot of the era, scrolled by, along with pictures of the evil overlord who built them. The only shot that wasn't a still was grainy footage of Kim fighting what looked like a woman with very long, very dark hair. Jo knew every frame of the recording, though she read it word for word every time it played.

Jo was just getting to the good part, where her ancestor took on the lead robot when a muted tone indicated a new contact on her sensor. The pad was set aside, instantly forgotten as she switched into what she liked to think of as her 'mission mode.'

"Colonel Renton, I've got five contacts bearing oh six four eight. I'm reading large mass and heavy energy build-up readings."

The Colonel, a grizzled older soldier who had once made the rank of Commander during the war but had accepted a lower peace-time rank rather than being cashiered was at her side almost instantly. He wasn't like other ship commanders she had known. He very rarely sat at his control center at the rear of the bridge, preferring walking among his crew and looking over their stations.

"There's nothing showing up on the main scanners." He nodded toward the main station, where three other officers were scrambling to pick up the same contacts she had.

"Nevertheless, sir, I'm picking up energy readings on the particular bandwidth this console was designed to detect. The mass readings indicate at least five capitol ships, each generating a power field of some sort."

"Red alert!" The moment the words left his lips the lights dimmed, reducing the possibility of glare on the consoles. His preference was overridden by procedure at that point. Combat helmets were pulled from compartments in their seats and they hooked their harnesses. Regulations were clear in this matter. They were approaching five vessels large enough to be combat ships that were at least using some sort of electronic countermeasures to keep them from being detected. It may have been peace-time, but this was still UA space. As a soldier, Jo agreed fully with their orders. It was far preferable to approach an unknown vessel with weapons charged and armor shielding in place.

Nobody had any business having five cloaked ships that size without the military knowing about it. That was a good way end up on the wrong end of a pair of Ion Lock-in cannons.

"Colonel, we have long range visual acquisition of the targets." The senior sensor operator reported.

"Weapons report full charge available on both ILCs. Main combat turret is online and operational, as are all secondary weapons. Missile room reports ready, clear for all weapon types."

Colonel Renton had his helmet on and was strapped into his own harness. "Communications, prepare a standard signal."

"Ready, Sir."

"Unidentified vessels. This is the United Accord destroyer U.S.S. Delilah. You are in controlled space without displaying proper transponder frequencies." He turned to the radio operator. "Anything?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Still no sensor readings except for visual and the special array." Jo reported.

"Link your scanner with the targeting computer. Weapons, I want a firing solution on the closest target. Don't be subtle about it, I want them to know we have a weapons lock on them."

"Firing solution ready sir. We have a full spread capability with a bow shot pre-programmed."

"Very well. Repeat message."

"No response, sir."

The indicators on Jo's console starting jumping upwards. "I'm reading a large power surge, sir."

"Is it a weapon?"

"Unknown. It doesn't appear to be. It's like…" She stared at the readings. "That can't be right."

"What is it, Captain?"

"Sir, if I am reading this correctly, it looks as if they are trying to open a transit lens."

"What?"

Back during the war the Arkonians had somehow discovered how to open a small 'gateway,' allowing ships to basically 'skip' huge tracts of space. It was never learned exactly how they did this, but it came too late for the enemy. The UA fleet already had their Stargates, huge rings of rock floating in space that generated static transit lenses. Depending on the angle and speed a starship entered the gate, they could transit clear across space. Some of the greatest space battles occurred around those gates as the Arkonians tried to wrest them from their grasp.

The fact that this may very well be why they were out there in the first place tickled the back of Jo's mind. However, if that were the case, certainly Colonel Renton would have known about it.

"Colonel, I'm starting to get some strange readings. It still looks like a transit lens, but something is wrong."

The sensor crew finally reported. "We've got them sir. They are now in secondary sensor range. Bearing matches Captain Stommble's reading. Five Andrea Markus class Arkonian battleships."

"Range to target?"

"They are now in ILC range. We have a shooting solution. Hyperwarp missiles are also available with multiple solutions."

"What is the weapon status of the contacts."

"Inconclusive. Main energy weapons ports seem to be inactive. We do not have any indication of targeting scanners being directed against us."

Jo took that moment to look at the main tactical screen. Huge metal plates had extended over the forward windows, though any combat spacer far preferred more complete synthetic views of their situation. The Delilah was one of the few ships still commissioned that actually had its bridge in a more traditional location instead of buried deep inside the hull.

"Holy…" she muttered.

The five battleships were distinctly visible by then. They looked like whales pointed the wrong direction, with large dorsal fins extending up and over their bulbous drive sections. They were only called battleships because of their size and weapons capabilities. They bore no other resemblance to the classic designs of the UA ships of the same designation.

The ships were arrayed like five points of an invisible star, as if they were forming an ancient mystical pentagram. Between them space was seemingly being bent. At first it was just a point of light. Then it started spreading, forming a huge disk of light in the dark heavens. Jo had never seen this up close before. She forced her attention away from the main tactical, turning back to her console. It was lit up like the Christmas tree she left set up in her apartment back on Earth.

The disk shimmered, turning darker until it looked like a pool of mercury suspended in the night.

"I'm reading a new energy buildup in the ships." The sensor operator reported. "Their drives are active."

"We are in full spread weapons range sir."

"Drop us out of warp. Prepare to fire on my mark."

There was a slight wrenching sensation in Jo's gut. Over the past several years she had gotten used to the smoother transition of commercial grade ships, but she found it was like coming home. She was still a soldier at heart and the rougher ride of a burly old starship like the "Del" made her feel like she was alive.

"Contacts are under way." The operator reported.

"Still no enemy weapons activity." Clearly somebody else was reverting to form. More properly, that operator should have still called them unknown contacts.

"They appear to be entering the lens." Jo could feel the surge of adrenaline. Space combat wasn't as personal as being on the ground in a thirty foot long hover-tank, but it still had her heart beating faster, burning the cobwebs from her brain.

"Contact number one has entered the lens. We no longer have a reading on contact one. Contact two, contact three, contact four. Colonel, all five contacts have now entered the lens and are no longer showing on any of our screens."

Jo watched her readings carefully, anticipating what she saw next. "The lens is starting to fade. I believe the ships were somehow generating it."

The colonel tugged at his harness, making sure it was secure. "Time to full lens collapse?"

"I estimate thirty seconds."

"Time to intercept?"

The helmsman responded. "At current speed, twenty seconds."

"Increase velocity. We're going in after them."

Another officer spoke up. "But we don't know where they're going."

"Wherever it is, we'll figure it out when we get there and report back." In war-time the Delilah would be hard-pressed to take on even one of the ships in a straight on slug-fest, but something was going on and the old veteran was going to find out what.

"Contact in five, four, three, two one"

What happened next was quite familiar to Jo. It wasn't like they were transiting one of the static gates. She had been through them at least a dozen times before and they never felt any different than jumping to Hyperwarp. This was different.

Everyone on the ship suddenly felt like they were being stretched to infinity. She had no idea how many of them had experienced that particular sensation before. Only a few ships were capable of the new super-jumps referred to as a Telewarp.

Moments later it was over. Her stomach felt like it was going to surge up through her throat, but she fought down the urge to heave, instead concentrating on her duty station. Unfortunately, it had gone completely black.

Slowly the main lights came back on, as did some of the monitors. Some of the crew were sagging in their harnesses, having blacked out from the experience. There were a few moans and even more of them actually did get sick. Jo couldn't blame them. The first time she telewarped out to the dark world she had been sent to explore she did the very same thing.

Colonel Renton was busily unsnapping his harness. Regulations be damned, he wanted to see what was going on first hand. He reached the main helm console and hit the switch opening the armored shutters. He wasn't willing to wait until the main tactical came back online. He wanted to see where they were.

To Jo's surprise they weren't in the blackness of deep space like she first suspected. No dark, sunless world awaited their eyes as the armor rolled back into its slots.

The globe before them was bright, swathed in white clouds much like the home worlds they all hailed from. What was most surprising was that it was a very familiar looking planet.

"Arkonia!" Colonel Renton muttered.

"Sir, main systems are coming back online."

"All stations, report." He leaned on the console, watching the tactical screen as it slowly came back to life.

"Sick bay is reporting a number of minor casualties. No major injuries."

"Sir, I'm getting nothing on broad-band communications. Nobody is responding."

His grizzled features scrunched up. "That can't be right. The bulk of the Third Fleet is supposed to be on station at Arkonia. Get me Commander Adams on the U.S.S. New York."

The radio operator just shook his head. "Nothing, Sir. It's like she's not even there."

"That's not possible. Get me fleet command. We should be in tight-beam range."

"Nothing. I'm not even reading anything except some minor, low-end transmissions."

Growling, he strode over to the communications console. "Are we getting anything from Earth?"

"Only some minor background transmissions. I have an audio signal, but at this strength it would have taken several years to reach here."

"Well, put it on anyway."

A faint voice could be heard. Was it…singing?

"…Lather Rinse and Obey, I'm a player just playing his play! My products in a rap song, come on get your wash on…With Doctor D's Brainwashing shampoo…and Cranium Rinse!...For Sheezy it's off the heezy!"

"What the hell?"

"I think it's some sort of entertainment transmission."

"Turn it off. Keep trying to raise command."

Another operator was trying to get his attention. "Sir, I don't think that is going to be possible."

"What? Why is that." He demanded.

"I don't know how this is possible, but the computer just made a stellar cartography plot, sir."

"Short version Lieutenant!"

"Colonel, it appears we have exited the lens in the year twenty-ten, Earth standard calendar."

Jo's jaw wasn't the only one that had to be picked up off the deck.

* * *

a/n – for more on Jo Stommble, she previously appeared in the early chapters of **Blade of the Fury**

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney.

The Intergalax Universe © Nelson Binch


	27. Sundered Trinity

**_The Trinity Sitch - Book 4: Heart of the Fury_**

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**Chapter 27**

**Sundered Trinity **

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Wade nodded to Drakken, who started shutting down a number of the ship's systems manually. It would have only taken a word to Trin to do all of that, but she was busy trying to keep track of the thirty some odd starships on orbit. The young tech guru knew she really could multi-task on a higher level, but the ship's AI was acting like a pig-headed child at the moment. He was coming to learn that the more the personalities of the starships came to resemble the human mind, the more they tended to behave like humans. Trinity, as a ship-mind, was only five years old, and while their age didn't precisely correspond to human development, Wade had been plodding around in the dark as to how to guide her. In her own time, a team of experts would have done so, and he was certain some mistakes had been made along the way.

Just why did her problems have to surface when they were using the ship for an actual life-and-death mission?

He was starting to understand why the owner of the starship that the AI had been templated from forced his ship's computer to act like a computer rather than a member of the crew. It only spoke to him by on-screen text and served as an extension of the ship's controls. That didn't mean the ship wasn't thinking for itself, and in fact Trin had some of those memories, and griped about it from time to time. On the surface the computer seemed like a person, seemed like it had feelings, but in fact, in Wade's estimation, it really was just that, a command and control system for a ship-wide automation system, and without that, he would have a very hard time controlling a ship even as small as the _Trinity_ without at least ten more trained crewmen.

As it was, he had to rely on the hastily trained Drakken. Of everyone on board he demonstrated the most proficiency with the controls. At least as long as he was able to focus. Oddly enough, he seemed able to do so when his wife and child were close by.

Wade felt a lurch in his stomach as the artificial gravity system shut off. What he was planning to do was dicey, and Trin was incredibly irate at the prospect, but Wade knew precisely what he was doing. Normally the ship would rely on the gravity generators to keep it aloft when flying within the gravity well of a planet. They system also limited the effects of radical changes in inertia on the human body, that's why the sudden feeling of weightlessness was so strange. None of them had experienced true free-fall since the generators had been in operation since they left earth.

An artificial gravity field could be their Achilles heel. Arkonian starships, at least in Trin's files, could detect them, at least if it was not shielded against such scans. Being equipped pretty much as a pleasure craft, the _Trinity_ lacked any such contrivance. To be on the safe side, Wade was plotting a manual re-entry, just like he was programming the landing sequence of a more conventional space craft from the Middleton Space Center.

"You sure 'bout this, Wade?" Joss' voice betrayed her nerves. "It ain't like we've got wings or nothin."

"There's an old axiom among rocket scientists. Give them enough thrust, and they could fly a brick. This ship has engines capable of relativistic speeds, so once we've descended into the atmosphere enough, we can power the engines back up and fly pretty much like an ordinary airplane, wings on no.

"It ain't natural, somehow, 'sall."

"I have faith in Wade-chan." Yori said softly

Joss had to bite back a comment about how the ninja wanted more than Wade's faith in her, but Yori was her friend and the only reason she had for making such snide remarks was to cover her own fear. She thought for a moment about her 'boyfriend' back home. The guy was a lot more of a romantic playmate than a real love interest, but fate had not yet seen fit to bring that kind of guy into her life.

"Okay, we're ready. Trin, bring the ship about one hundred seventy five degrees on the x/y axis and prepare for a fifteen percent power burn on the main engines, on my mark."

"We're in position." The female voice responded in a dull monotone.

"People, this is going to be like one really serious roller coaster ride. Hope you didn't load up on my Chimiritos for lunch." He was trying to sound brave. Of everyone on board, he was probably the only one who had never been on a roller coaster in his life. Oh, he had been in simulations in his holo-cube, even adapting it to his immersion helmets, but that was nothing like the real thing. The lurching sensation in his gut got a hundred times worse as the huge engines fired, serving as a more familiar retro system.

The magnetic shields flared to life as the hull contacted the atmosphere. Without heat absorbing tiles, they would be forced to rely in the field to protect them from burning up. Trin had to keep reassuring them that starships had been using the system for two centuries by then. That didn't help any of their nerves was they were enveloped in crimson fire.

Taking the controls, Wade brought the ship around once more. They had dropped into the upper cloud layers, concealing their fiery descent as much as possible. He throttled up the engines once more, slamming everyone back into their acceleration lounges. The ship was pretty much designed for the inertial damping system to be online, so the ride was more than a little rough.

Wade was making a mental note to go ride a roller coaster when he got back to earth, preferably with Yori. He wondered if the secret life of a ninja had ever afforded her the chance to visit an hones to goodness amusement park.

The Trinity broke out of the clouds, the twin engines flaring, the ion drive vectoring to keep the craft aloft. At least the ovalized wedge design was partially aerodynamic, though the hull gave it no lift. The whole ship was pitched upwards at a slight angle as it sailed along, headed toward a towering cloud rising from a pit that made the meteor crater in North America look like a post-hole.

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Kim smiled slightly as the Arkonian soldiers advanced on the two of them. She wasn't quite sure what the energy rifles they were bearing would do to them, but her trained eye was picking up something many others would miss; None of them looked very comfortable wielding the high-tech weapons.

One thing she did know, however, and that was the Torellian armor she was wearing was designed to block energy weapons to some degree. This was one of the things she had been training for with her sparring matches on the transport. That was just enough experience for her to learn how to move with it on. It was light, only slightly heavier than wearing normal clothes, and could more with her body like a second skin.

There was also another ace up her sleeve.

She tried to pretend these people were nothing more than just another band of thugs like Drakken and Dementor had pitted against them in the past. They had no more personal interest in what they were doing than simply following their leader's orders. They were fighting for a paycheck, not for the dark apparition's goals.

Kim sprung into the air, flipping once before bringing a metal clad foot down on the nearest one's chest. He was wearing some kind of plastic body armor himself, but her strike had enough force to send him sprawling back into the second soldier. His weapon fired wildly into the air, the blue beams impacting harmlessly on the domed ceiling. She took note there was no kind of explosion, giving her hope that the weapons were set to stun.

There was also the fact the tall, masked being said he wanted them for some unspoken reason. Kim had no idea who Arcus Corrin might be, but her mind was already assimilating what he had seen fit to mention during his rant. If she had time to consider it, she would have laughed about all villains being the same, ranting about their plans to the last people they should be telling.

Still, the fight was deadly serious. Dropping down, she kicked out, striking another goon in the knee. He might have been there simply because it was his job to do so, but a shattered joint would effectively take him out of the fight.

Ron didn't have the finely tuned battle instincts Kim had. He didn't see the mass of soldiers arrayed against them, all he could see was the sheathed weapon hanging from an ornate belt. The moment he laid eyes on it, he knew it was in fact the Sword of the Effurien. How he had come to be in possession of it, he had no clue. The last time he had seen it with his own eyes it was falling into the torrent of the Spiron, outside this very underground complex. It should have been lost for all eternity in the depths of the whirlpool at the center of the crater. Yet, there it was.

He knew it was not some replica either. It seemed to tug at his very soul. It was the blade he held in his hands, a weapon that was as much a part of him as the fabled Lotus Blade had been during his early days at Yamanuchi.

Launching himself right after Kim, he pulled his own sword from its mountings on his back, swinging it above his head like a veritable helicopter blade with both hands. The energy field sprang to life, leaving a trail of yellow fire as the massive blade twirled in the air.

None of the Arkonian troops were prepared for this type of resistance. Most of them had spent their lives using the weapons they had trained with, weapons that had been the staple of their world's military since time immemorial. The energy rifles were new to them, uncomfortable and unfamiliar. So far they had spent months drilling with them, firing them into stationary targets, learning to care and maintain such weapons. They were utterly unprepared to use them in battle. So far they had gotten by with fear and intimidation, relying almost totally on the power of such weapons to cow the uneducated and fearful masses, usually without having to fire a shot.

Three of them managed to bring their weapons to bear on the golden warrior leaping to a fro among them. There was a flash of yellow light, and the muzzles of their weapons clattered to the ground, making them only good as clubs.

Others were realizing the shortfalls of their weaponry, resorting to actually trying to beat their opponents with them. One soldier swung the butt of his rifle at Kim, who simply ducked, coming up under his attack with an open palm, connecting with the face-plate of his helmet. She was happy when the smoke-colored plastic cracked under the force of her blow.

Another trio of soldiers were trying to corner Ron. They had already tossed their weapons aside after hitting him point blank with the stun charges. Their adversary might have been wielding a gigantic Torellian energy sword, but that was something they were used to dealing with. If they could force him back against the wall, he would not have room to maneuver with the monstrous weapon. Close-quarter fighting with and edge weapon was something they knew. In those situations a short sword or a knife would be superior, compared to a five-foot long blade that needed plenty of space to be effective. They reached for their belts and drew plain looking but very effective knives. Their orders were to take the two alive, but they were never told how good a condition they were to be in.

Ron's power was not just the ability to create an energy field around his weapon, but to instinctively know how to use it in combat. He could tell what they were trying to do. Kim would have simply leapt over them, probably smashing their heads together, but he wasn't skilled in acrobatics. Years of trying had left him a passable fighter in that style, but with his bulkier combat armor weighing him down, he didn't quite have that option.

The three were wary of the spinning blade, but he knew if they managed to back him against the wall he would have to use it in a more conventional manner. He Found himself wishing the sword their leader was bearing actually was the magic katana. Then he would simply be able to summon it, ripping it from the ghoulish creature's grasp. For a fleeting moment, he gave up a little bit of ground and extended his hand in the blade's direction. Whatever powers being the 'Blade of the Effurien' granted him, they didn't extend to willing to sword to him.

Taking advantage of his lapse, one of them ducked inside the arc of his spinning blade, slashing across his chest. There was little the attack could actually do against the metal and polymer armor he was wearing, but it still served to force him back slightly. He cursed himself for falling for that. Taking a step forward, he felt the tip rake across the outside of his chest plate, scoring the decorative finish his previous benefactors had applied to the old armor.

The Arkonian soldier grinned behind his protective face-plate. The inexperienced swordsman had fallen for his ruse. Changing tactics, he dove under the blade once more, stabbing this time instead of slashing, looking for a weak point in the armor where its plates were joined together.

Kim kicked another soldier, sending him crashing backwards onto this butt. Half a dozen Arkonians were apparently out of the fight already, but many more were ready to take their place. She grabbed a discarded rifle and swung it around like a baseball bat, connecting with at least two of them.

The melee was taking too long, in her estimation. They were being forced to concentrate on taking on the soldiers in small groups. If they had been modern soldiers, they would have simply fallen back to a more defensible position once the battle was joined, probably adjusting the settings of their rifles so they could penetrate their armor. Instead they were taking them on face to face. They weren't as afraid of them as they thought they would be, they simply did not know tactics involving modern weapons. Their armor was helping as well. It was a lot more like fighting well trained Henchco henchmen than Drakken's doughy goons. These men knew what they were doing, and if they were armed with more traditional melee weapons, the battle might have taken a much worse turn than the stalemate they were locked in.

Ron felt the tip of the blade penetrate the outer layers of his armor, gritting his teeth against the expected pain, wrenching his body to one side to lessen the impact of the blow. That alone saved him from taking the blade right in his ribs. The plates flexed against each other, binding the weapon before it could be shoved home. The knife was nearly ripped from the soldier's hand, forcing him to backpedal while he adjusted his grip on the weapon.

The others were taking advantage of Ron's attention on the one attacker. They moved to flank him, their own blades held at the ready. As his own massive sword spun to block one, the other would move in, feinting and ducking as he tried to fend them off.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the fiend standing patiently, observing the battle from the safety of the balcony overlooking the main chamber. There was no way of knowing what the thing was actually thinking behind that horrid mask, though the face plate made it appear as if he was grinning down at them. They were so much more accustomed to creatures such as him ranting and screaming during a battle, imploring his lackeys to finish them, or something like that.

"Ron!" Kim shouted above the din. "Use your powers. Remember, just like back on Troxxite. Let it go, trust your feelings."

"KP, this is most def not _Space Conflict_!"

She grabbed one of her opponents by the chest plate, spinning around and slamming him into two other soldiers. "So says the guy with the laser sword thingy!"

She was right. How many times had she told him in the past he was thinking too much. This wasn't the time to be fighting as just Ron Stoppable, it was time to be the Blade of the Effurien, the greatest swordsman in the galaxy, if The Blessed Mother was to be believed.

Forcing himself to relax, he spun the blade faster and faster in a figure eight pattern, foiling his opponent's attempts to flank him. Almost as if using a dance step, he pirouetted around the nearest one, bringing the flat of his blade down on his backside, full force.

That sent the soldier sprawling. Ron suddenly found himself in the open once more, leaving the three knife-wielding soldiers in his wake. Once more, his eyes were on the one prize that truly mattered to him. That creature looking down on them, he had no doubts that was the Podondrin they had been told about, the demonic seeming leader who had conquered the entire globe with his dark powers.

He was the last person in the universe who should be in possession of the vaunted blade!

_Same-old, same-old_, he thought to himself was he scrambled up the curving staircase leading to the Podondrin. Kim takes on a couple dozen goons while I go after the bad guy. _Sure beats simply being the distraction._

The only response he got from the armored creature was when he turned to face him. He did not speak, nor did he otherwise react, at least until Ron reached the top of the stairs.

"Foolish mortal. Do you not realize you alone do not have the power to defeat me? It would take the combined might of the Trinity of the Effurien itself to even stand a chance against my might!" His gloved hand came up, the cloak sweeping aside, revealing his massive, armored form.

There was a flash of purple light. Warnings went off in Ron's mind, flashes of memory playing back in that instant, memories of a dream that had been sent to him as a warning. In that dream he had faced Podondrin, and the being had simple gestured in the direction of their starship, violet shaded beams of energy lancing forth, destroying the ship where it stood.

He tried to dodge the blast, but Podondrin was far faster than he anticipated. The beam impacted him, but instead of obliterating him, it held him fast, much like the immobilization ray he once tried employing against Shego. His sword clattered uselessly to the ground, the yellow energy field winking out of existence once it was out of his grasp.

"Ron!" Kim screamed. She shouldered her way past a pair of attacking goons, light flaring around her body. The ante had been upped, and her hand was being forced. She wanted to hold her power in reserve unless absolutely necessary. The transformation only took a moment, completing before she took her next step.

Her wings flashed into existence, following the swing of her arm. She employed them as a weapon instead of for flight. Somehow she knew if she brought them down edge first they would have sliced right through her remaining opponents, but she still would not kill. Instead she used the broad edges to sweep the suddenly fearful soldiers out of her way was she made her way toward the Podondrin.

"At last, the Hand of the Effurien stands revealed!" Podondrin's voice boomed in the domed chamber. "Still, you are a fool to think even your great power is a match for me. The Heart of the Effurien is no more! You have no hope against my power!"

"Hope this!" Kim screamed as her gauntleted fist smashed into the armored faceplate of the villain. There was a crack like thunder as the black-clad monster flew backwards into the stone wall. Rock cracked with the impact, sending shards of broken granite in every direction.

"How did? This is impossible!"

"Oh really." Kim said quietly, standing above the momentarily prone Dark Lord of Arkonia. "Check my maiden name!"

Almost as fast as the eye could follow, the ebon warrior was back on his feet, a hand appearing from beneath his cloak. In it was clutched a large, white crystal.

"Check this, Red." He growled, as if through clenched teeth behind the mask.

Kim was suddenly stopped cold as white light enveloped her from the crystal. In an instant, she realized what it was. She had felt it's power twice before, the first time when one just like it was employed to siphon they power from one of the heroes of Go City back home, the second when that same crystal ripped that power right back out of her. The crystals returned when the son of that villain tried to use one to sap her very will.

She screamed as the silvery metal protecting her whole body started flowing toward the Podondrin.

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Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney.

The Intergalax Universe © Nelson Binch


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